crime
Arrests after attack on mourners – probably hand grenade
The police at the scene of a crime in a cemetery. photo
© Christoph Schmidt/dpa
The attack on a mourners in Altbach draws wider circles. No firecrackers are said to have been thrown at the mourners, but a hand grenade. The attack could have ended much worse.
After an explosive device was thrown at a mourners in Altbach in Baden-Württemberg, three young men were arrested during a raid in Ludwigsburg. The State Criminal Police Office announced this on Wednesday. In the morning, several apartments in Ludwigsburg were searched with a large number of forces in connection with the case in Altbach, said an LKA spokesman. Three men were arrested – aged 19, 20 and 21. The investigators also assume that the explosive device thrown was a hand grenade, as the LKA spokesman said. The “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” first reported on the raid.
Initially, there was talk of four arrests, but a fourth man could not be linked to the crime, said the LKA spokesman. In the course of the day, it will be checked who of the arrested persons should be brought before the magistrate.
According to research by the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”, the explosive device was very likely a Yugoslav M75 hand grenade. The grenade hit the branch of a tree in the cemetery and was thus cushioned, the newspaper writes, citing investigators.
According to the LKA spokesman, the men arrested in Ludwigsburg were guests at the funeral on Friday. They are said to have pursued the attacker who threw the explosive object and beat him so badly that he had to be hospitalized.
Motive is unclear
The alleged thrower of the explosive device, a 23-year-old man, is already in custody. The LKA announced on Monday that an arrest warrant had been issued against him on strong suspicion of attempted manslaughter, causing an explosive explosion and dangerous bodily harm. The Iranian is now able to be questioned, but has still not commented on the matter, it said on Wednesday.
Ten people were injured in the explosion, one seriously. According to security sources, the mourners suffered “burn and splinter injuries”. According to the investigators, up to 500 people had gathered on Friday afternoon for the funeral of a 20-year-old man. The suspect is said to have approached the mourners and threw the explosive device into the crowd.
The motive for the crime remains unclear. According to the LKA, the investigators continue to assume a single perpetrator. Nevertheless, connections with a series of shots in Baden-Württemberg would not be ruled out. Possible connections will be examined, the spokesman said.
The 20-year-old man who was buried died in a train accident in Altbach a week ago. The police exclude third-party negligence. Candles, photos and flowers were placed at the train station in Altbach.