Turkish citizen killed in Dusseldorf arson attack
DUSSELDORF
An arson attack was behind the fire in the German city of Dusseldorf that killed a Turkish citizen among others last week, with the motive behind the incident remaining unclear, German prosecutors have unveiled.
Last week's fire and explosion, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to 16 others, was determined to have been accelerated by gasoline in a shop on the ground floor of the building.
The other two victims were identified as a 55-year-old German resident and a 48-year-old Iranian man who operated the shop near the entrance.
According to the Düsseldorf police, based on the results of technical investigations, the explosion occurred when the gasoline was ignited, causing the fire to spread rapidly throughout the building.
German media reports indicated that there is currently no evidence of whether the deadly incident was politically motivated or stemmed from a personal dispute.
Evidence suggests that the deceased owner doused the shop with gasoline, while his wife and children have been questioned.
The authorities presumed that that the shop owner died as a result of the explosion, while 18-year-old Turkish citizen and resident of the building Ada Abay, died from poisoning.
Türkiye’s Consul General in Düsseldorf Ali İhsan İzbul stated that they are closely monitoring developments related to the fire and the situation of Turkish citizens who were forced to evacuate the building, while expressing condolences to Abay's family.
The incident came after another arson attack killed four members of a Turkish-Bulgarian family on March 26 in Solingen. A former tenant of the building carried out the attack following a dispute with his landlady.
