CTK
Updated 9 minutes ago
Ten firefighters and two police officers were injured in an explosion in a block of flats in Ratingen, West Germany, near Düsseldorf, on Thursday. This was stated by the Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul. Some of the injured are fighting for their lives. The police subsequently arrested a man in his 60s. According to RTL, the police found a body in the apartment where the man was arrested. The motive for the attack is not yet known.
The German media, citing security authorities, initially did not rule out a targeted attack on rescuers, but the police have not yet confirmed this.
“A 60-year-old man was detained and suffered minor injuries,” a police spokeswoman told reporters. “The man will be treated first and then taken to the hospital,” she said.
The spokeswoman did not provide details about the detainee. According to the Rheinische Post newspaper, an arrest warrant has been issued for the man. Der Spiegel magazine reported that the detainee apparently belonged to supporters of conspiracy theories and deniers of the existence of the covid-19 pandemic.
The incident happened in the apartment that the mentioned man lived with his mother. The apartment owners reported to police that the apartment had an overflowing mailbox, raising concerns about their health. They also reported a possible fire in one of the rooms of the apartment. But after the arrival of firefighters and policemen, an explosion rocked the place. Reul said in a statement that it appeared to have been caused by the man’s attempt to set the apartment on fire.
The police carried out a large-scale operation at the site, and a special police unit and snipers also arrived at the site. A police helicopter flew over the building and the injured were transported to the hospital by a rescue helicopter.
