Radicalization in Thought or Action - Prosecution of arson attack with racial motives
During the trial of an attempted murder case involving an arson attack on an asylum seeker residency in Saarlouis in 1991, the Koblenz Oberlandesgericht halted collection of evidence on Monday. Corinna Diesel, spokesperson for the Koblenz Oberlandesgericht, stated that the court had heard all the evidence necessary for psychological assistance. Consequently, witnesses to the crime will not be heard.
A 55-year-old defendant is charged with assisting murder in court. According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, he conversed with a former companion in 1991 about racial assaults in East Germany. He's alleged to have said, "That should happen here too." His comrade was reportedly instigated by these words and set fire to the asylum seeker residency in Saarlouis.
During the fire, the 27-year-old asylum seeker Samuel Yeboah from Ghana in West Africa perished. Two other inhabitants leaped out of a window and sustained injuries. 18 other occupants escaped harmlessly. The perpetrator has already been sentenced for murder, among other offences. However, this verdict has not yet become legally binding.
In the assisting and abetting trial, the opening statements are scheduled for the 1st and 2nd of July, with the verdict to be delivered on the 9th of July. The defendant's presumption of innocence still applies until the conclusion of the trial that becomes legally binding.
