Wuppertal Synagogue Arson Suspect Remanded as Prosecutors Cite Antisemitic Motive

A 37-year-old Afghan national was placed in pretrial detention after an attempted arson attack on the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal. Police said the suspect spread and ignited flammable liquid on steps at a side entrance on Thursday before officers arrested him nearby; community members extinguished the fire, no one was injured and damage was minor. Prosecutors said statements he made to police indicated an antisemitic motive, while investigators had found no evidence of an Islamist background. They said knives and a machete were found in his apartment and his phone was being examined.