Employees of forensics work at the crime scene in a cemetery. © Christoph Schmidt/dpa
Hundreds of people gather in a cemetery in the district of Esslingen. Suddenly, something flies into the crowd. And explodes.
Altbach - Several people were injured when an explosive object was thrown at a mourning community in Altbach (Esslingen district). Up to 500 people had gathered there on Friday afternoon for a funeral of a 20-year-old man, a police spokesman said. Then, according to the current state of the investigation, two men approached the mourning community, one of them threw a previously unknown object at the mourners, which exploded. Five to seven people were slightly injured in the explosion. Mourners had chased the two men and beat one of them so badly that he was flown to the hospital.
The background to the attack is unclear. The police spoke of a very aggressive mood at the funeral service. The man who is said to have thrown the firecracker is still a fugitive. The forensics was on site, it was said in the afternoon.
A spokesman for the police said that it had to be determined what kind of object was thrown exactly – whether it was a commercial firecracker or a homemade explosive device. According to security sources, the mourners suffered "burn and shrapnel injuries".
The man, who was buried, died a week ago in a train accident. The police rule out third-party negligence. Candles, photos and flowers have been placed at the train station in Altbach. "To do something like this at a funeral service is highly disrespectful," said one who knew the dead man. "This is unforgivable." dpa
