A passer-by looks at swastikas that have obviously been smeared in blood on a house wall. Almost 50 cars, several letterboxes and house walls have been graffitied in Hanau. (Photo by Thomas Frey/picture alliance via Getty Images)
HANAU, Germany - German police announced Thursday that they had detained a 31-year-old man suspected of using his own blood to paint swastikas on numerous cars, mailboxes, and building facades in the central town of Hanau.
Dig deeper:
Police spokesman Thomas Leipold said officers were alerted Wednesday night when a man reported that he noticed the shape of a swastika applied in a reddish liquid on the hood of a parked car. Police said that almost 50 cars had been defaced in a similar way.
A special test quickly revealed that the substance was human blood.
The display of Nazi emblems, including the swastika, is illegal in Germany.
On Thursday afternoon, police said, the man, a Romanian citizen whose name was not given in line with German privacy rules, was arrested at his home in Hanau, after they were tipped off by a witness.
What they're saying:
"He was still under the strong influence of alcohol and his motive appears to be highly personal and job-related — he just snapped," Leipold said. He added that the man had injuries that appeared to be self-inflicted.
"He is currently being examined at a psychiatric hospital," Leipold said. He declined to give any further details in order to protect the privacy of the suspect.
On Thursday morning, before the suspect was apprehended, the city's Mayor Claus Kaminsky expressed shock.
"Especially in our city, which was deeply affected by the racist attack on Feb. 19, 2020, such an act causes deep consternation," he said, adding that the city had filed a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported.
"What happened here crosses every boundary of decency and humanity," Kaminsky said. "Swastikas have no place in Hanau. We will not allow such symbols to sow fear or division."
Big picture view:
The swastika is widely considered a symbol of hate that evokes the trauma of the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi Germany. White supremacists, neo-Nazi groups and vandals have continued to use it after the end of World War II, to stoke fear and hate.
Hanau was in the headlines five years ago when a German attacker shot and killed nine people with immigrant roots in a rampage at a hookah bar in the town, in one of the worst cases of domestic terrorism since World War II.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. Information in this story comes from statements by German police and officials. This story was reported from Los Angeles.