An arson attack was carried out on the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal on Thursday afternoon. A suspect was arrested shortly after the attack. Employees of the synagogue were able to extinguish the fire quickly; no one was injured.
The attack took place on September 17 at a side entrance of the synagogue of the Jewish Religious Community in Wuppertal’s Barmen district. According to the police’s initial findings, a man is said to have attempted to start a fire there. According to the WDR employees of the synagogue were able to extinguish the fire quickly. The property damage caused was reportedly minor.
The suspected perpetrator was arrested. The police initially provided no further details about his identity or possible motives for the act. The chairman of the Wuppertal Jewish Religious Community also confirmed the attack to WDR. The investigation is ongoing.
Arson attack on synagogue with bags of flammable liquid
The Jüdische Allgemeine reports, citing police information, that the man threw several bags filled with a flammable liquid at a side entrance and set them on fire. He then reportedly fled. The police were able to arrest the suspect shortly afterward.
According to WDR and Tagesschau, the synagogue is guarded by police officers practically around the clock. It has not yet been conclusively established whether this security detail contributed to the swift arrest. The police initially did not want to comment on further details until the forensic examination had been completed.
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⚠️ State of the investigation
Confirmed are the attack on the synagogue, the arrest of a suspect, the minor property damage and the ongoing investigation.
Attack just days before Yom Kippur
The attack took place during the Jewish High Holy Days and just a few days before Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, sharply condemned the act in a press statement .
Schuster said that, in his view, the timing of the attack was not accidental. He referred to previous attacks on synagogues during Jewish holidays and spoke of a pattern of antisemitic violence intended to spread fear and push Jewish life out of the public sphere. This assessment therefore goes beyond the publicly known findings of the investigation so far. The authorities have not yet disclosed a specific motive of the arrested man.
At the same time, Schuster stressed that Jewish communities would not allow such attacks to deter them from living out their religion publicly. With Yom Kippur in mind, he called on the security authorities to ensure the protection of religious services.
Wuppertal synagogue was attacked as early as 2014
This is not the first arson attack suffered by the Wuppertal community. Molotov cocktails were thrown at the synagogue as early as 2014. Three men were later convicted of the act. The court’s assessment of the motive at the time sparked considerable public debate.
The renewed arson attack therefore strikes a Jewish community whose place of worship has been under special protection for years. The fact that the suspect was arrested quickly this time and that the fire caused only minor damage does not change the seriousness of the incident: the target of the attack was a synagogue, while Jewish communities are preparing for their holiest holiday.
The suspect has been arrested, no people were injured and the fire was extinguished quickly. What remains unclear is the motive behind the attack. That is precisely what the ongoing investigation must now clarify.
What is already clear: In broad daylight, an attempt was made to set fire to a synagogue. The good news is that the suspected perpetrator was apprehended quickly. Why he attacked a Jewish place of worship in particular is the key unanswered question.
ℹ️ Factual basis and primary sources for the article 📑
▶️ WDR:
Arson attack on synagogue in Wuppertal
Current report citing Wuppertal police, the Wuppertal Jewish Religious Community and KNA. Confirms the arrest, the fire at the side entrance, the minor property damage and the ongoing investigation.
▶️ Jüdische Allgemeine:
Arson attack on Wuppertal synagogue
Report with direct police information on the course of events and the arrest of the suspected perpetrator, as well as background on the earlier 2014 attack.
▶️ Central Council of Jews in Germany:
Press statement on the arson attack on the synagogue in Wuppertal
Official statement by Central Council President Josef Schuster on the attack, its timing during the Jewish High Holy Days and the security situation of Jewish communities.
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