Afghan National Arrested After Suspected Arson Attack on Synagogue in Germany

Wuppertal, Wohnquartier Barmen-Mitte, Gemarker Str. 15, Fassade Paul-Humburg-Str., Bergische Synagoge, Im Fokus, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 | Jihad Watch

A 37-year-old Afghan national has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to the entrance of the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal, western Germany, on Thursday.

The incident caused only minor damage, and no injuries were reported. German police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.

According to Wuppertal police, the suspect allegedly poured a flammable liquid over the synagogue’s entrance steps in the Barmen district at around 2 p.m. before igniting it. Members of the synagogue community acted quickly to extinguish the flames, while officers arrested the suspect nearby shortly afterward.

Police stated that the man is already known to authorities and that preliminary findings indicate he acted alone. Investigators have not yet announced a motive for the suspected arson.

The Bergische Synagogue is under regular police protection, and officials believe the strong security presence contributed to the suspect’s swift identification and arrest.

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, condemned the incident as an “arson attack” and expressed concern over what he described as the growing normalization of antisemitic hatred in society.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)