Police in the western German city of Essen on Sunday said they had arrested a 41-year-old man for serious arson and attempted murder.
The suspect man was caught in a separate incident later in which a van crashed into two shops, a police spokesman said.
What we know so far
The Essen fire department received emergency calls at about 5:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT/UTC) on Saturday evening after a fire broke out in an apartment building in the Altenessen district.
Rescuers used a turntable ladder to evacuate people standing at the windows, and shrouded in smoke, calling for help.
Twelve people were injured, including eight children — two of whom were critically injured and hospitalized. The fire was then quickly brought under control.
After the first fire, another apartment building nearby was set alight.
The fire department said people stood at windows and on balconies for air because they could no longer escape through the smoke-filled stairwell.
One person had jumped out of a window when the fire department arrived.
The fire department said 19 people at that building were injured and taken to hospitals. Eleven were seriously hurt, but the injuries were not life-threatening.
Essen Mayor Thomas Kufen on Sunday said the suspected arson attacks appeared to have been directed against members of the same family.
How was the suspect caught?
Soon afterward, a delivery van crashed into two shops in the neighboring district of Katernberg.
Several men detained the suspect, who was reportedly wielding a knife and machete, using shovels and poles, before police arrived to arrest him.
According to the police, he is a 41-year-old man from Essen with Syrian nationality.
The city, in the former industrial Ruhr area of Germany’s most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia, had experienced “dramatic hours,” the mayor said.
Kufen congratulated the fire brigade, rescue workers and police for their excellent work, as well as residents. “I would like to thank everyone who prudently helped to catch the alleged perpetrator for their civil courage.”
Investigators are reportedly examining possible connections between the crimes. The suspect’s specific motive is also the subject of the investigation.
rc/nm (dpa AFP AP)