Afghan arrested for trying to burn synagogue in Germany

Segundo informed the local police to the AFP, in the early afternoon an individual “tried to burn down a side entrance” of the building, but “the fire could be quickly extinguished by members of the synagogue”.

To cause the fire, the author “spread a flammable liquid on the steps in front of the synagogue” and “fired,” the police reported.

“The material damage is relatively small” and “no one was injured,” the spokesman confirmed.

According to the police, the 37-year-old suspect is an Afghan citizen already known to the authorities, and was arrested shortly after the incident near the place of worship. He will have acted alone, “according to the initial information,” he said.

The president of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, condemned the attack in a statement, stating that the “action demonstrates the progressive normalization of hatred for Jews”.

In recent years, Germany has been shaken by several attacks or attempts at attack — often motivated by Islamic or right-wing extremism — which have highlighted security issues.

German justice announced on Friday the charge of seven alleged Hamas members arrested between October and May for planning last year's attacks on Germany and Austria against the Jewish community and pro-Israel groups.

On Thursday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of an Iraqi suspected liaison to the Islamic State (EI) jihadist group and planned attacks in the country.

The man will have obtained a firearm and realized recognition of the site of his first target — a church in Bremen (northwest) — before being arrested on Thursday, north of Berlin, and put in protective custody.