The construction site of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) mosque in Essen was set on fire. A neighbor saw the flames and immediately called the police, who found right-wing symbols.
An alarm at the construction site of the mosque on Karnaper Street in Essen on Friday evening (January 19th) signaled an emergency. A resident called the police after seeing several people break into the building and start a fire around 10:10 p.m.
The police from Essen arrived and a few minutes later arrested two young men (18 and 19 years old). They are suspected of setting fire to building materials and plastic films on doors and skylights.
“We are deeply shocked by the attack on our community, which is also an attack on religious freedom in our country,” said the BiH community Dzemat Essen. The owner of the new cultural center in Karnaper Street talked about a “xenophobic or Islamophobic arson attack”.
Evidence found by the police on the roof of the building shows that it was not a stupid boy’s prank. They found a swastika approximately 3 by 3 meters inscribed in the snow.
Thomas Kufen was shocked by the crime: “Even if the motives are still unclear, I am struck by the burning of the mosque of the Islamic Community of BiH under construction in Essen-Karnap”, said the mayor of Essen, who visited the construction site on Saturday. Kufen thanked the attentive neighborhood and the emergency services for their quick intervention. This prevented possible damage to the building. “The community of the cultural center Dzemat Essen eV is particularly committed to a good coexistence and dialogue between cultures and religions in Essen,” explained the CDU politician and decisively added: “We, as residents of Essen, stand by this community!”, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
