Two months after an arson attack on asylum seekers’ accommodation in Simbach am Inn, Lower Bavaria, a suspect was arrested. A 42-year-old man is being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder and attempted arson, said the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Munich and the Lower Bavaria police headquarters.
The man from the Dingolfing-Landau district is accused of setting fire to a paper container and floor mats next to the accommodation on October 16 last year. After a preliminary evaluation of his cell phone data and the chat history of the 42-year-old found on it, there is a suspicion that he wanted to kill residents with the fire for racist reasons. He was arrested in mid-December and has been in custody ever since. The investigative authorities now went public.
The garbage can that stood directly on the wall of the refugee accommodation was completely burned out and melted. Only a pile of ashes can be seen in the pictures. There was property damage, luckily nobody was injured. First, the criminal police in Passau and the public prosecutor’s office in Landshut had investigated the matter. Several people were identified who were said to have been near the scene of the crime, a Saturday morning, at the time of the crime. There were house searches in the districts of Rottal-Inn, Dingolfing-Landau, Deggendorf and in Bregenz, Austria. Among other things, the 42-year-old accused’s cell phone was seized and evaluated. Since this provided evidence of a racist motive, the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Munich took over the investigation.
The 42-year-old has commented on the allegations. Since it is still being investigated, no details can be given, it is said from Munich. Investigators are currently not assuming that the man is or was a member of an extremist organization. Whether there were helpers or accomplices is also still being clarified. In addition to the man, there were other specific suspects, but according to the General Prosecutor’s Office, only the suspicion against the 42-year-old has been confirmed.
Simbach am Inn in the Rottal-Inn district is located directly on the Austrian border. Braunau is on the opposite bank of the river. According to the district office, there are two refugee shelters in the Lower Bavarian town of 10,000 inhabitants.