Fire in asylum seekers' home - Fatal arson attack: verdict planned in aiding and abetting trial
Thirty-three years after a fatal arson attack on a refugee home in Saarlouis, the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz will render a judgment in the accessory to murder trial on Tuesday (2 p.m.). The defense of the 55-year-old German had previously demanded acquittal, while the Federal Prosecutor's Office sought a sentence of six and a half years.
In the 1991 fire, the then 27-year-old refugee Samuel Yeboah from West Africa, Ghana, lost his life. The perpetrator was convicted last October, among other things, for murder. The judgment is not yet final. According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the accused allegedly confirmed the perpetrator's words and set the fire in the refugee home in Saarlouis. The 55-year-old is charged with accessory to murder.
The organization Aktion 3. Welt Saar sees this trial as a political success, regardless of the verdict. "Part of this success is the establishment of a parliamentary investigative committee, a victim fund, and an anti-racism commissioner by the Saarland parliament," the organization stated. The organization participated in both trials as an observer. The investigative committee on racist attacks in the early 1990s in Saarland started the evidence collection phase in June.
- Despite the upcoming imprisonment for accessory to murder, the 55-year-old German remains hopeful, with his defense team still pushing for acquittal.
- The crime in question took place in the refugee home in Saarland's Saarlouis, leading to the tragic death of Samuel Yeboah from Ghana in a 1991 arson attack.
- In Rhineland-Palatinate's Koblenz, the Office of the Attorney General continues to monitor the process, ensuring that justice is served in relation to the extremism that fueled the incendiary act.
- The accused's alleged confession to setting the fire in the refugee home is a key piece of evidence in the trial, dictating the course of the proceedings at the Higher Regional Court.
- The arson attack on the home for asylum seekers in Saarlouis echoed through Germany, sparking calls for increased security and support for refugee communities nationwide.
- As a result of the trial, the Saarland parliament established a victim fund, an anti-racism commissioner, and a parliamentary investigative committee to address the root causes of extremism in the region, helping to prevent future such crimes.
