Officials say suspect appears to have planned ‘fireball’ attack that severely injured German police

Officials said on Friday that an explosion at a residential building in Germany that gravely injured nine first responders appears to have been a planned attack carried out by a guy wanted in connection with an unpaid fee.

On Thursday, police and firefighters responded to the building in the western town of Ratingen in response to a call about a helpless individual inside an apartment on the top level.

The first responders were seriously hurt when a man unlocked the flat door and hurled out a flaming object, turning what had been a routine procedure into an inferno.

Thomas Hendele, the administrator of Mettmann county, of which Ratingen is a part, declared, “We are deeply shocked.” “We’re furious. Furious at this act, which has no justification.

A few hours later, a 57-year-old German man was seized as a suspect by a special operations squad.

According to authorities, investigations revealed that the individual had stocked up flammable liquids inside the structure, indicating that he had planned the attack.

Two police officers and three firefighters were battling for their lives with burns covering much of their bodies, Hendele added, of the nine persons who had significant injuries.

He declared, “We can’t be certain whether they will survive this battle.

In the event, 22 police officers also received minor injuries.

According to investigator Heike Schultz, police discovered a body inside the flat that they believe to be the mother of the suspect. It appeared that the woman had been dead for a few weeks.

A senior citizen was also discovered dead somewhere in the structure. Authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding his death; according to German media, he may have passed away because of lack of medical attention because of the ongoing police operation within the building.

According to Schultz, there were hints that the suspect believed in coronavirus pandemic conspiracy theories.

“It’s still unclear whether that was a motive,” she continued.

Last week, an officer attempted to execute an arrest order for the individual due to an unpaid fine but was unsuccessful, according to the authorities. According to authorities, that warrant had nothing to do with the operation on Thursday.

The man was being detained on nine counts of attempted murder, according to Laura Neumann of the Duesseldorf prosecutors’ office.