Prosecutors in Wuppertal have taken over the investigation into an attempted arson attack at the city’s synagogue and adjoining Cafe Negev, according to a statement cited by DW. A 37-year-old Afghan national was arrested near the scene shortly after the incident and was due to appear before a judge on Friday.
The attack occurred on Thursday afternoon, when the suspect allegedly threw three containers of flammable liquid at a stairwell and doorway used as an entrance to the synagogue and cafe before setting the material alight. A staff member quickly extinguished the fire. Police said no one was injured and that damage to the building was minimal.
Officers assigned to security duty at the site detained the man in the immediate vicinity, prosecutors said. They said video surveillance footage left him strongly suspected of starting the fire. The suspect is being investigated for attempted aggravated arson.
Prosecutors said the man made comments during the police intervention that indicated an antisemitic motive. They cautioned that intensive background inquiries were continuing. The suspect, a Wuppertal resident with Afghan citizenship, also had a previous criminal record related to threats against a female neighbor, according to the prosecutors.
Police searched his apartment on Thursday evening and found documents, several knives and a machete positioned within easy reach, prosecutors said. His mobile phone was confiscated during the arrest, and investigators were examining data from it as part of the inquiry.
DW reported that about 30 people gathered outside the synagogue on Thursday evening in a show of solidarity. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, condemned the attack, saying it had occurred ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which falls on September 20 and 21.