Europe News
Unsolved car fires spread to south-west of Germany
Sep 6, 2011, 12:16 GMT
Freiburg, Germany - A rash of unexplained fires in parked cars has spread from the capital Berlin to Germany's south-western corner, where 11 vehicles were destroyed overnight, police said Tuesday.
The fires in Berlin have been blamed on far leftists with a grudge against the authorities and affluent people, but police say some incidents are juvenile crime without political motives.
Three vehicles were burned on a parking area belonging to the district government in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, police said. A motor scooter belonging to a government official in a nearby street was also burned.
City police said they suspected leftists who were upset about being evicted last month from a vacant plot where they lived in caravans.
In nearby Esslingen district, three cars and three caravans were destroyed by fire in the night. At Weil am Rhein, a van parked next to the border crossing to Switzerland was gutted by fire.
The attackers usually light slow-burn fuses under oily parts of car engines. Police say the culprits are hard to catch since they are long gone when the fire breaks out. In Berlin, political critics have accused the police of losing control of law and order.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Europe
- 1. Pope in Easter message calls for peace and religious tolerance
- 2. Magnificent Messi leads Barcelona to ninth straight win
- 3. Pope leads Easter vigil, calls for "true enlightenment"
- 4. Barcelona increase pressure on Real with romp in Zaragoza
- 5. Pope Benedict XVI leads Easter Vigil
Older Talkback
