Hamburg police arson investigators wearing masks examined four charred vehicle โคwrecksโ Monday morning, protecting themselves โfrom โthe acrid smell of fire as they photographed the cars destroyed overnight.
The incident marks the latest inโ a seriesโ of vehicle fires across Hamburg, raising concerns about escalating political violence. Thisโฃ follows a June โขarson attack in the Groร โFlottbek district, where โขtwoโค Mercedes-Benzโข vehicles were set ablaze. A far-left group claimedโ duty for that incident online, stating theyโค had targeted cars belonging to a โฃlocal businessman but mistakenly set โfire to vehicles owned by uninvolved parties. โคJust one โขnight later,a mini Cooper burned in Nienstedten around 4:30 a.m., with flames spreading to damage a Saab.That Mini was parked on the โขpropertyโ of Kajetan von Mentzingen, a manager โat the technologyโ firm Vincorion, which operates in the โขdefence sector.
Most recently, the car belonging โฃto Alexander baumann, a leading politician with โthe Alternative for Germanyโข (AfD) party, was among those destroyed โขin โthe Monday morning fires. Baumann confirmed the arson to Bild, stating his vehicle wasโ fully gutted.Authorities have not yet โconfirmed a direct link โคbetween this latest incident and the โฃprevious attacks, but are investigating potential politicalโฃ motivations.The fires occurred โin Hamburg’s western โdistricts, and police โคare appealing for information regarding the perpetrators. The incidents are prompting โฃincreased security measures for political โfigures and a broader debate about political โฃextremism in the city.
