The fire brigade on duty in Randowstrasse in Berlin-Lichtenberg Photo: Spreepicture
By Karin Hendrich
An eerie series of fires has been terrifying the residents of Neu-Hohenschönhausen for many months. It was not until Tuesday morning that the fire brigade had to move out again with 50 men: extinguish a basement fire on Vincent-Van-Gogh-Strasse and bring 15 residents to safety.
Is Leon S. (20) one of those unscrupulous arsonists? He has been in court since Tuesday. On August 3, 2022, he is said to have burned down a basement shack in his own house on Randowstrasse. The consequences were devastating: damaged supply lines, water and power supply failures lasting for days.
Property damage: almost 330,000 euros. Fortunately, none of the neighbors on the eleventh floor, who had fled from their sleep, were seriously injured.
Tips from witnesses and radio cell surveillance led to Leon S. His motive? According to the indictment, in addition to a Nazi salute at the open window, in the days after the fire he demanded on handwritten notes in a “declaration of war on the state”: “Stop the wave of refugees… end inflation…”. And threatened in case of non-compliance: “… people are dying and the cellars and forests continue to burn… Have fun extinguishing.”
One of these pamphlets was also in the mailbox of CDU politician Danny Freymark’s citizens’ office.
The police and public prosecutor’s investigations into other suspects in a large number of fires in the neighborhood around Falkenberger Chaussee have not yet been completed. Leon S., who has been in custody since December, did not want to comment on the start of the process.
Continued: Tuesday (May 16)