Suspect detained after blast at residential building in Germany injures police, firefighters

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BERLIN (AP) — German police have detained a suspect in connection with an explosion at a residential building that injured dozens of first responders on Thursday, some of them seriously, officials said.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2023 (1221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BERLIN (AP) — German police have detained a suspect in connection with an explosion at a residential building that injured dozens of first responders on Thursday, some of them seriously, officials said.

Police said two officers and three firefighters received life-threatening injuries in the blast at a high-rise building in the town of Ratingen. Four firefighters were seriously injured and 22 police officers suffered minor injuries, they said.

The body of a dead woman was recovered from the building, police said. The identity of the person and the circumstances of her death weren’t immediately known.

Police officers and firefighters stand in front of a residential building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. Several people were injured in an explosion Thursday at a residential building in the western town of Ratingen, German police said. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)
Police officers and firefighters stand in front of a residential building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. Several people were injured in an explosion Thursday at a residential building in the western town of Ratingen, German police said. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)

Firefighters and police were initially called to the building in the morning after being alerted about the possibility of a person in distress inside a 10th floor apartment.

Police said they were still investigating what caused the blast, which happened shortly after the suspect opened the apartment door. The man then started a fire, preventing police from entering the unit.

Following the explosion, heavily armed officers took up positions around the site, with television footage showing police snipers on a balcony across the road from the building as smoke poured out of a top-floor apartment.

Hours later, a 57-year-old German man was detained on suspicion of homicide, police said.

The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, said social media posts indicated the man had shown an affinity for ideas downplaying the threat posed by the coronavirus.

Police officers and firefighters stand in front of a residential building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. Several people were injured in an explosion Thursday at a residential building in the western town of Ratingen, German police said. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)
Police officers and firefighters stand in front of a residential building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. Several people were injured in an explosion Thursday at a residential building in the western town of Ratingen, German police said. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)

Ratingen is located on the northeastern outskirts of Duesseldorf, the state capital.

Police snipers take up positions with their weapons on a high-rise building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. A senior security official says at least a dozen people have been injured in an explosion at a residential building in western Germany. Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said that 10 firefighters and two police officers were injured in the blast at a high-rise building in the town of Ratingen. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)
Police snipers take up positions with their weapons on a high-rise building in Ratingen, Germany, Thursday May 11, 2023. A senior security official says at least a dozen people have been injured in an explosion at a residential building in western Germany. Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said that 10 firefighters and two police officers were injured in the blast at a high-rise building in the town of Ratingen. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)
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