Several people seriously injured - Explosion in Ratingen: 57-year-old sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder
In the trial for the explosion in a high-rise building in Ratingen near Düsseldorf, the defendant has been sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder. The Düsseldorf district court found the 57-year-old guilty on Wednesday. The man had wanted to murder nine people with the explosion he had triggered.
Emergency services from the police, fire department and ambulance service had come to his apartment on the tenth floor of a high-rise building on May 11 to help a helpless person who was believed to be in the apartment. The 57-year-old is said to have been lurking behind a barricade of water crates, poured several liters of petrol on the emergency services and set fire to it. The gas-air mixture exploded. A fireball hit the emergency services, several of them were in acute mortal danger, and eight of the nine injured will retain permanent injuries.
Man lived with his dead mother for weeks
A lawyer for the injured rescue workers had emphasized that everything had suddenly changed for the victims on 11 May. Most of them would probably not be able to return to their jobs and would suffer from the consequences for the rest of their lives.
The man had also lived with his mother's body in the apartment for weeks. The emergency services had noticed a strong smell of decay. Because the residents of the apartment had not been seen for weeks and their letterbox was overflowing, the property management had informed the police.
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Following the explosion, the imprisoned 57-year-old will likely require assistance from the fire department due to the damage caused. The police were previously notified about the suspicious circumstances in the apartment due to the residents' absence and the smell of decay.
Source: www.stern.de
