German police detain man who allegedly painted swastikas on cars with own blood

Published connected 06/11/2025 - 12:29 GMT+1 •Updated 16:36

Police successful Germany said connected Thursday that they detained a 31-year-old man suspected of coating swastikas pinch his ain humor connected dozens of cars, mailboxes and building facades successful nan cardinal municipality of Hanau.

Police spokesperson Thomas Leipold said officers were alerted connected Wednesday nighttime erstwhile a man reported that he noticed nan style of a swastika applied successful a reddish liquid connected nan hood of a parked car.

Police said that almost 50 cars had been likewise defaced. A trial quickly revealed that nan constituent was quality blood.

On Thursday afternoon, constabulary said, nan man, a Romanian national whose sanction was not fixed successful statement pinch German privateness rules, was arrested astatine his location successful Hanau, aft they were tipped disconnected by a witness.

"He was still nether nan beardown power of intoxicant and his motive appears to beryllium highly individual and job-related — he conscionable snapped," Leipold said.

He added that nan man had injuries that appeared to beryllium self-inflicted.

"He is presently being examined astatine a psychiatric hospital," Leipold said. He declined to supply immoderate further specifications to protect nan suspect's privacy.

The swastika is considered a awesome of dislike that evokes nan horrors of Nazi Germany and nan trauma of nan Holocaust.

White supremacists, neo-Nazi groups and vandals person continued to usage it aft nan extremity of World War II, to stoke fearfulness and hate.

Hanau was successful nan headlines 5 years agone erstwhile a German attacker changeable and killed 9 group pinch migrant backgrounds successful a rampage astatine a hookah barroom successful nan town, successful 1 of nan worst cases of home coercion since World War II.

On Thursday morning, earlier nan fishy was apprehended, nan city's Mayor Claus Kaminsky expressed shock.

"Especially successful our city, which was profoundly affected by nan racist onslaught connected Feb. 19, 2020, specified an enactment causes heavy consternation," he said, adding that nan metropolis had revenge a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported.

"What happened present crosses each bound of decency and humanity," Kaminsky said.

"Swastikas person nary spot successful Hanau. We will not let specified symbols to sow fearfulness aliases division."