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Destroyed house in Gerolstein
Photo: Trier Police Headquarters
In Rhineland-Palatinate, a dispute between a home owner and a tenant has escalated violently.
The landlord had partially demolished the building with an excavator while the tenant was still in the house, said the Trier police.
One photo shows the severely damaged single-family house, with a large hole in the roof and an outer wall.
The tenant was "fortunately not injured," as the police said.
According to the information, the incident occurred on Friday morning in the Michelbach district in Gerolstein in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The homeowner had dredging work on the property, then he got behind the wheel of the dredger and began demolishing the building.
Owner known locally
"For me this is clearly an attempted murder," said Alfred Mertes, Mayor of Gerolstein-Michelbach, the SWR.
"And that is how it should be punished." The police initiated an investigation against the landlord.
The house is in danger of collapsing and is no longer habitable.
At first it was not known what the long-running dispute was about.
The house owner was apparently no stranger to the place.
"The landlord has often messed with people here," said Mayor Mertes.
The residents would now say "very clearly" that they were on the tenant's side.
The local news portal "volksfreund.de" reports that the owner is a Gerolstein entrepreneur.
He bought the house in July 2020.
Since then, the police have had to move in several times.
Accordingly, the tenant, but also neighbors, filed various criminal charges.
According to "volksfreund.de", the tenant was initially able to stay with a friend after the incident.
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sep / dpa