Terror Strikes Europe: 31 Injured in Germany & 2 Israeli Embassy Attacks

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With the war in the Middle East intensifying between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Europe is also feeling the tensions as some countries in the continent see an uptick in terrorist attacks, often in reaction to Israel’s actions in the Middle East.

In Germany, a 41-year-old Syrian national from the western city of Essen was apprehended on September 29th for serious arson and attempted murder. The suspect was caught in an unrelated incident, after which a van crashed into two shops.

The city’s fire department received emergency calls on the evening of September 28th after the man set fire to an apartment building in Essen’s Altenessen district. Rescuers used a turntable ladder to evacuate people standing at the building’s windows. 

In the first fire, 12 people were injured, including eight children — two of whom were in critical condition and sent to the hospital.

After the first fire was quickly brought under control, the suspect reportedly set another apartment building on fire. The victims stood on the balconies and at the windows for air, and one person jumped out of a window when the fire department arrived. 

Nineteen people at the building were injured and taken to the hospital. Eleven of them were seriously hurt, but the injuries they sustained were not life-threatening. A total of 31 people were injured during these incidents. 

The suspect, who was seen wearing a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh-patterned headband, was arrested after he reportedly drove to the Katernberger Strasse, where he was seen ramming his car into a store before reversing and ramming into the same building. He was also seen holding a machete and threatening people. 

Meanwhile, police in Sweden and Denmark are investigating two separate incidents involving Israeli embassies in the two Nordic countries after hand grenades were thrown at the Israeli embassy in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Swedish authorities investigated at Israel’s embassy in Strandvägen, Sweden, on the night of October 1st after they received reports of a loud bang within its vicinity. Police confirmed that bullets hit the embassy after they found a weapon and an empty ammunition box within the area. All embassy staff members were safe, and no injuries were reported. Swedish authorities declined to comment on the possible motive behind the attack, and no arrests were made. 

Three young Swedes were arrested in Copenhagen on October 2nd on suspicion of being involved in two explosions near the Israeli embassy in the district of Hellerup. Jens Jespersen, a spokesperson for the Copenhagen police, said the suspects were between the ages of 15 and 20, adding that one was arrested near the embassy. In contrast, the other two were arrested on a train at the city’s central station.

The blasts, which prompted a nearby Jewish school to close for the day, were likely caused by hand grenades, according to Jespersen. While it was unclear whether the Israeli embassy was the main target, the spokesperson said the explosions were about 100 meters from the embassy and caused damage to another building. Nobody was injured.

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