Explosive device situated beneath a blazing automobile in Cologne.
At midnight, people living in Cologne's Ostheim district come across a blazing car. As firefighters extinguish the flames, they stumble upon an unsettling situation: a live hand grenade hidden beneath the vehicle. Reports indicate that this could potentially be connected to criminal organizations.
According to local authorities, they handled the explosive situation themselves, seeing as safely relocating it wasn't an option.
Intriguingly, some speculate the car's fiery demise was intentional, possibly hinting at involvement from organized crime syndicates. The gossip mills add that the damaged vehicle was a BMW X6.
Eyewitness accounts suggest a loud bang heard in the night and the sight of the burning car parked on a lot. Police quickly cordoned off the area as a precaution. The discovery of the hand grenade was made during firefighting operations. Needless to say, evidence was collected to aid further investigations.
The investigation has now been passed on to an anti-organized crime unit, given the recurring instances of explosions in Cologne recently. The latest incident took place Wednesday in front of a city center clothing store. Earlier, on Monday, an explosion happened near a nightclub.
After the investigation shifted to the anti-organized crime unit, they decided to closely monitor activities in Cologne's high-risk areas, including Ostheim district. Despite the distance, some believe the series of incidents, including the car explosion, might be related to the recent explosions in other parts of Cologne, such as near the nightclub and the city center clothing store.
