A man Arrested after setting fires and driving a van into shops in Essen, injuring 30, including children in critical condition.
BERLIN — The police have arrested a guy after a crazy day in Essen, where he started two fires that hurt 30 people, including 8 kids, and then crashed a van into two shops.
Emergency teams got calls about the fires around 5 p.m. on Saturday. The kids hurt the most had to be rushed to the hospital because they were badly burned from the smoke.
While the fires were going on, the guy drove the van into the shops, breaking a lot of stuff but luckily, no one got hurt.
Witnesses say he was holding weapons, but some brave folks stepped in with shovels and sticks to stop him until the cops showed up.
Suspect arrested after allegedly setting fires and driving into shops in Germany https://t.co/r5ndEIxFdO
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) September 29, 2024
The guy, who’s 41 and from Syria, is said to have done this because his wife left. The police think he picked on homes and shops that backed her.
When the firefighters got there, it was a mess: smoke was everywhere and people were screaming for help from the windows.
Neighbors tried to help the people stuck inside with ladders, but they couldn’t get to the higher floors.
So far, the guy hasn’t said anything about what happened on Saturday. But the police knew about him before this and have been looking into him for other crimes.
They’re now charging him with starting the fires and trying to kill someone, showing just how serious this is.
