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Saxon Switzerland: A badly burned branch lies on the ground in a forest near the bastion
Photo: Daniel Schäfer / dpa
In the case of the forest fire below the Bastei rock in the penultimate week of July, the police identified four men aged 24 and 25 as suspected arsonists.
They are suspected of having smoked shisha on an area between the bastion and the Kanapee viewpoint outside of the hiking trails in the Saxon Switzerland National Park and having started the forest fire, the police and the Dresden public prosecutor said.
Investigators were able to secure multiple pieces of evidence at the crime scene.
"After numerous witnesses pointed to a quartet smoking a shisha on the day of the fire, the suspects were identified," it said.
During apartment searches on Tuesday in the city of Dresden, among other things, mobile phones were seized, which are now being evaluated.
Police chief Lutz Rodig thanked a reporter from the "Bild" newspaper who gave the crucial clue.
The perpetrators face imprisonment
In the night from July 17th to 18th, a fire broke out in an area of around 2500 square meters near the Bastei Bridge in Rathen.
It took more than two days to extinguish the fire in the area that was difficult to access.
The property damage is estimated at around 50,000 euros.
A few days earlier, the police had taken action against wild campers who had illegally set up fireplaces in the national park.
The authorities initiated administrative offense proceedings against a total of nine people.
Poorly or incorrectly extinguished fireplaces are a common cause of forest fires, the police said.
According to Section 306 of the Criminal Code, arson is punishable by imprisonment for a term of between one and ten years.
In less serious cases, the penalty is six months to five years.
In the case of negligent arson, a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine is possible.
bam/dpa
