Man held in psych hospital after German synagogue fire

A man suspected of starting a fire outside a synagogue in Germany is being held in a psychiatric hospital, and an investigation is underway, the authorities say.

The 32-year-old German national is also suspected of making a Nazi salute outside the religious institution in the town of Giessen, near Frankfurt, on Tuesday evening.

He allegedly pushed several containers filled with cardboard and old papers on the street and in the synagogue’s entrance hall before setting them on fire, the Giessen prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“Thanks to the swift intervention of a passerby, the fire was quickly brought under control, preventing the flames from spreading to the residential building and the synagogue,” the statement adds.

The suspect is being held in a psychiatric hospital, and the motivations behind the incident are under investigation.