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An armed man has started multiple fires in the German city of Essen, leaving 30 people injured, including eight children, according to police reports.
On Saturday evening, fires erupted in two apartment buildings located in the Altenessen district of Essen. Additionally, a delivery van crashed into two shops in Essen-Katernberg. This information was provided by the police in an official statement.
Authorities were able to apprehend a suspect near the scene. A total of 30 individuals sustained injuries.
At around 5:10 p.m., the fire department and police received numerous emergency calls reporting a fire on Pielstickerstrasse. Shortly after, another blaze broke out at an apartment building on Zollvereinstrasse. Firefighters managed to put out the fires and attended to the injured, among whom were eight seriously injured children.
In television interviews, a fire department spokesperson described the scenes as harrowing. Women and children were seen standing at windows, engulfed in smoke and screaming. Firefighters deployed safety cushions and used turntable ladders to rescue residents. The fires have since been extinguished.
Suspected attacker armed with a machete A short time later, a van rammed into two stores on Katernberger Strasse and Meybuschhof, causing property damage but no injuries.
A police patrol arrested a suspect near the scene. The suspect is a 41-year-old man from Essen, of Syrian nationality. According to media reports, he was carrying both a knife and a machete.
The criminal investigation unit has taken over the case and is investigating potential links between the incidents. The suspect’s specific motives are also under investigation.