24-year-old in custody Series of fires in Solothurn - suspect is a firefighter
After eight fires in the Solothurn region, a 24-year-old Swiss man is in custody. Investigations show: The suspect is a firefighter.
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- Between October and January, there were eight fires in Langendorf and Bellach SO.
- A 24-year-old Swiss man was arrested and is still in custody.
- An internal letter shows: The suspect is a member of the Solothurn fire department.
A series of fires has caused unrest in the Solothurn region. Between mid-October and mid-January, there were a total of eight fires in Langendorf and Bellach. Buildings and vehicles were affected.
After the most recent fire in Bellach, the Solothurn cantonal police announced that they assumed it was arson and had arrested a suspect.
The arrested man is a 24-year-old Swiss national. He is suspected of having set the fire in Bellach. Whether he is also connected to other arson cases is the subject of ongoing investigations.
Internal letter causes surprise
New details are now coming to light, which SRF has researched. There is an internal information letter to the members of the Solothurn fire department. In it, fire department commander Boris Anderegg informs them that the person arrested is a member of their own fire department.
"It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that the person arrested is a member of our fire department," writes the commander. He is personally very saddened by this.
Parallels to a previous case
The case is reminiscent of an earlier series of fires in the canton of Solothurn. At the end of January, a 36-year-old man was sentenced to eleven years and seven months in prison by the high court. He had set twelve fires in 2022 - he was also a former firefighter.
Investigations must now show whether the current suspect is responsible for further acts.
