Erfurt (dpa/th) - The suspected arsonist from Apolda regretted the house fire that killed four people last summer in court. "I didn't want to kill anyone," said the 36-year-old on Wednesday before the Erfurt district court. The accused described his difficult childhood and youth in Bulgaria, which he says he spent in an orphanage and later on the streets. He also spoke of psychological problems.
At the beginning of 2022 he came to Germany via the Bulgarian mafia. This promised him money for the conclusion of mobile phone contracts and thefts, which he then only partially received. He had demanded the money for months and had also been to the police. Finally, out of desperation, he wanted to kidnap the child of one of those affected. But then he set the house on fire. "I didn't want them dead, I just wanted to scare them."
The Bulgarian stated that at the end of August last year he had set fire to the apartment building in Apolda with two filled petrol canisters. Four people died as a result. The public prosecutor considers the man to be innocent. The court therefore decides in a so-called security procedure on his placement in the psychiatric ward. According to the defense, the 36-year-old suffers from severe schizophrenia. He can't control himself when he's under pressure.
