A German man was arrested on Tuesday night after allegedly setting fire to a trash can in front of a Giessen Jewish community building, Central Hesse police announced.
No one was harmed, but the fire caused damage to a roller shutter and entrance gate.
A 32-year-old man was arrested and is in police custody. The circumstances and motive of the suspect are still unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
According to a Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism report issued in June, there were a total of 8,627 antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2024. This represented a 77% increase compared to 2023.
Antisemitic attack on Brandenburg antisemitism commissioner
Last Sunday, a shed on the property of Brandenburg Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism Brandenburg Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism was set on fire in a suspected arson attack.
Police said that an “unconstitutional symbol” was painted directly adjacent to the shed, which Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said on X/Twitter was the red inverted triangle, a symbol popularized in Hamas propaganda to denote an enemy target.