Suspect arrested after allegedly setting fire and breaking into stores in Germany

BERLIN: A man was arrested after allegedly starting two fires in the western German city of Essen that injured 30 people and driving a van into two stores, authorities said on Sunday.

Emergency services were alerted to two consecutive fires in residential buildings shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, police said. Among the injured were eight seriously injured children, two of whom were in a life-threatening condition after inhaling smoke.

Shortly after the fires started, a van crashed into two stores in the town, causing material damage but causing no injuries. The suspect then allegedly threatened people with weapons, but several men managed to push him away with shovels and poles and held him until police arrived.

Police said the suspect was a 41-year-old Essen resident of Syrian nationality. They said the man’s motive appeared to be that his wife had left him, and that he had targeted homes and stores where people who supported her lived.

Firefighters said that when they arrived at the scene of the first fire, smoke was coming from the entrance to the building and people were calling for help from windows. Neighbors had set up ladders to help people escape, but they were not long enough to reach the upper floors.

The suspect has not yet commented on what happened Saturday, but was previously known to authorities for threats and property damage, police said. Prosecutors sought to keep him in custody on suspicion of arson and attempted murder.