NRW
Explosion in Ratingen: handwritten notes found
The victims are commemorated on the market square in front of the church in Ratingen. photo
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
Two seriously injured are still in mortal danger, seven are in intensive care units. The alleged perpetrator tends to conspiracy theories, reports the lead investigator.
After the explosion in a high-rise building in Ratingen near Düsseldorf, seven seriously injured people are still being treated in intensive care units. “Two of them are still in mortal danger, one injured person has now been transferred to the normal ward,” said criminal director Heike Schultz, who heads and coordinates the investigation, of the German Press Agency. In the meantime, notes have been found that give an insight into the thoughts of the alleged perpetrator.
A 57-year-old Ratinger is said to have triggered the explosion when the police and fire brigade opened his apartment door. The forces suspected a helpless person in the apartment. Because the mailbox was overflowing, the landlady had informed the authorities.
“Vaccination of the Devil”
Arrest warrants for nine counts of attempted murder were issued against the 57-year-old on Friday. Handwritten notes were found in his apartment, which suggest that the man was clinging to conspiracy theories, Schultz reported: “There is talk of a ‘vaccination of the devil’ with the Covid 19 vaccination. He also expressed his aversion to the church, expressed by the state and the employment office.” However, no farewell or confession letter was found in the apartment.
Investigators hope to get more insight by evaluating the suspect’s hard drives and cell phones. “However, the devices were affected by heat and extinguishing water,” said Schultz.
Followers of the prepper scene?
In the apartment, the investigators came across unusually large supplies of water, candles, pasta and toilet paper, such as those created by preppers. Derived from the English “prepare” (prepare), people who prepare for survival in the event of a disaster are referred to as preppers.
With a barricade of beverage crates behind the apartment door, the Ratinger had also prepared for intruders. Schultz reported that he then poured gasoline on the emergency services and ignited it on Thursday. During a later search, the police found gas firearms, knives and daggers in his basement.
As it became known, a few days earlier, a police officer had rung the doorbell of the 57-year-old because there was an arrest warrant against Ratinger: he had not paid a fine of 30 daily rates for bodily harm. Because no one opened, the officer left again.
Finding a woman’s body
In the apartment, emergency services came across a woman’s body on Thursday after the explosion. “The finding situation and other things strongly suggest that it is the suspect’s mother,” said Schultz. However, this will be finally clarified. The woman had been dead for several weeks, and the emergency services had noticed a strong smell of decomposition.
The 57-year-old is silent about what happened. He had previously been noticed for three physical injuries. The SPD opposition in the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament requested a special session of the interior committee on the matter. This should take place next Monday. “It’s also about how we can better protect our security forces,” announced their domestic policy spokeswoman Christina Kampmann.