Ambush for rescuers? 50 attackers attack police officers and firefighters - "That was prepared"

The forces were called for a fire - and then attacked with stones. The police assume an ambush.

• Approximately 50 men allegedly set fire to Hesse - probably to lure police officers into an ambush.
• Then the attackers attacked the officers with stones.
• The police had to request reinforcements and protective equipment.

Dietzenbach - The rescue workers assume that they have been lured into an  ambush : around 50 attackers in the Hessian town of Dietzenbach attacked police officers and firefighters with stones . 

They had been called to a fire the night before on Friday  - an excavator and garbage cans were obviously  set on fire, the police in Offenbach said  . Local residents had reported the fires around midnight.

Violence against police officers in Hesse: "Fire was only set up to attract people"

"We assume that the fires were only set up to attract the emergency services," said a police spokesman for the dpa . Obviously, it was a prepared action, because it was possible to locate piled-up piles of stones , the police said. The police then requested further assistance - including a  helicopter .

Remains of the attack on police officers: foam at the crime scene in Dietzenbach in Hesse.

© dpa / Fra nk Rumpenhorst

Attack on police in Hesse: property damage of at least 150,000 euros

By "strong forces" they were able to calm the situation around 2 am, remove the helicopter and extinguish the fires. Several emergency vehicles were damaged. The officials estimated the property damage "according to cautious estimates" to at least 150,000 euros . At first nothing was known about injured forces.

Three suspects were arrested. Two of them disrupted the assignment and ignored a dismissal, the third was allegedly involved in the stone throwing.

50 attackers attack police in Hesse - State government speaks out

The incident caused horror across the country. The state government of Hesse reacted promptly on Twitter . Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU) strongly condemned the attacks. "We need a clear answer from the rule of law: anyone attacking emergency services should be put in jail and must not be fined," said the politician.

Interior Minister #Beuth has strongly condemned the attacks on police officers and firefighters in #Dietzenbach: "We need a clear answer from the rule of law: Anyone attacking forces belongs in jail and must not get away with a fine." Https://t.co/ aO4BYTT1MV

Violence against police officers: "We have been watching this for a long time"

According to the police union, ambushes against emergency services are not an isolated case. "We have been observing this for a long time," said the Hessian union chairman, Andreas Grün , on Friday at the dpa . 

However, it is not common for a group of around 50 attackers to attack officials. According to Grün, too, the intention was to massively attack the officials. "That was prepared." It was lucky that nobody was hurt.

AFP / dpa / frs

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