Deadly apartment fire in Germany was deliberately set, say investigators

BERLIN (AA) – An apartment fire that claimed the lives of a Turkish Muslim mother and her 4-year-old son was deliberately set, German authorities say.

“We do not believe that there was a technical defect, but rather that the fire was caused intentionally,” Ingo Kechichian, a spokesman for public prosecutors, told public broadcaster RBB.

There were no immediate clues regarding the motive of the suspect(s).

The fire was ignited early Sunday at a shop on the ground floor of a three-storey house in the town of Eberswalde in Brandenburg, northeastern Germany.

At least six people were injured, four of them seriously, according to fire department officials.

Police spokesman Roland Kamenz told local media that authorities are investigating the blaze thoroughly, without ruling out any potential causes.

The police department appealed for witnesses and requested anyone with information to come forward and assist in the investigation.

Past years have seen arson attacks in Germany on the residences of Muslims and ethnic Turkish immigrant families.

In 1993, a Turkish immigrant home in the German town of Solingen was set ablaze by four young far-right extremists, resulting in the killing of five members of the Muslim family – two women and three girls – while 14 others were wounded, including several children.