Extremism - Arson attack on Ulm synagogue: confession to psychiatrist
More than two years after the incident, a man must stand trial in the district court for carrying out an arson attack on the synagogue in Ulm. The public prosecutor said on Thursday that the now 47-year-old defendant spilled one and a half to two liters of petrol on the southern wall of the building in June 2021 for anti-Semitic motives and then set fire to it with a lighter. The aim was for the fire to engulf significant parts of the synagogue.
The flames reached a height of up to two meters. Passers-by informed the fire department. A police officer was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. There were no people in the building at the time. There were four burn marks on the façade and soot contaminated the "Israel window" of the synagogue, according to the public prosecutor. Property damage amounting to several thousand euros was caused.
The man gave no details of the crime in court at the start of the trial. However, he had given a detailed account of the allegations to the psychiatric expert beforehand. The expert reported that the accused had stated that he wanted to draw attention to the suffering of the Palestinians in the conflict with Israel. He had explained that he wanted to set an example. "If the others don't do anything, I'll do something myself," the accused is said to have said according to the expert witness. The accused is charged with attempted aggravated arson in conjunction with criminal damage to property. A verdict could be announced at the end of January, the court announced.
The man was publicly searched for with pictures after the crime. According to the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office, he had initially fled to Turkey after the attack. Because Turkey, like Germany, does not extradite its own citizens, the investigators' legal means of prosecution were initially exhausted. However, when the suspect re-entered Germany via Stuttgart Airport at the beginning of July 2023, he was arrested. He has been in custody ever since. According to the investigators, he lived in Ulm before the crime.
Statement from the public prosecutor's office
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- During his time in custody, the accused admitted to the arson attack on the Ulm synagogue to his psychiatrist, citing extremist views towards Judaism and sympathy for the Palestinian cause as motivations.
- The arson attack on the synagogue in Ulm was a criminal act, but the defendant's actions were also rooted in his psychological state, as highlighted by his psychiatrist's assessment.
- The psychiatrist in Baden-Württemberg played a crucial role in the Ulm synagogue arson case, as they were privy to the defendant's confession of his extremist beliefs and intentions.
- The psychiatric expert's testimony about the defendant's statements to them regarding the arson attack on the Ulm synagogue will likely be a key piece of evidence during the trial.
- As the case against the defendant progresses in the district court, questions about the intersection of criminality and extremism, as well as mental health, will be at the forefront, given his confession to the psychiatrist.
Source: www.stern.de
