Man sentenced to life in Germany for arson killing Turkish-origin family
BERLIN
A German court has sentenced a man to life in prison for setting a building on fire and killing four Bulgarian citizens of Turkish descent in the western city of Solingen.
The Wuppertal state court found 40-year-old Daniel S. guilty of four counts of murder and 21 counts of attempted murder in connection with the March 2024 blaze.
According to German media reports, the court determined that Daniel S. had committed a particularly severe crime and ruled out the possibility of early release.
The court also ordered financial compensation ranging from 2,000 euros ($2,291) to 20,000 euros ($22,911) to be paid to the victims’ relatives and survivors.
The fire broke out in the stairwell of a four-story building in Solingen’s Hohscheid district during the night of March 24–25 last year.
Experts said the blaze spread rapidly due to a “chimney effect,” reaching the roof within five minutes.
Investigators concluded the fire had been deliberately set, with flammable materials found in the wooden stairwell.
Four members of the same family, including two children, died in the fire. Three others sustained serious injuries.
Daniel S., who had previously confessed to the crime during an earlier hearing, said before the verdict that he was deeply sorry for the pain he caused and wished he could undo what had happened.
During the trial, questions were raised about whether the attack was motivated by far-right extremism.
A police report suggested the possibility, and lawyer Seda Başay Yıldız, representing the victims' families, presented evidence including a racist poem found in a garage used by the defendant, online chats with racist content and far-right materials stored on a hard drive found in his home.
However, the prosecutor stated that an extensive review of the defendant’s digital history over the past 10 years revealed no direct ties to far-right groups or clear signs of radicalization.
The case sparked renewed debate in Germany over racism and far-right violence targeting immigrant communities.
