Chaos erupts in central Germany as arson, theft, and axe attack shock communities
A series of disturbing incidents unfolded across central Germany over the weekend, involving arson, armed confrontations, and break-ins. Emergency services responded to multiple calls between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, with police now investigating the separate cases.
The first incident occurred just after midnight on Saturday (March 7), when firefighters extinguished a burning storage container in a field near the OBI hardware store on Im Schwarzenborn street. The blaze completely destroyed the container, causing an estimated âŹ5,000 in damages. Arson investigators from Marburg's criminal police are now searching for witnesses who may have spotted suspicious activity near the scene.
Hours later, at around 3 a.m. on Sunday (March 8), a cigarette vending machine on RaiffeisenstraĂe in Breidenbach-Oberdieten was blown up in an attempted theft. The explosion damaged the wall it was mounted on, but the perpetrators failed to steal anything. Total losses were estimated at nearly âŹ4,000.
Shortly after, police were called to a pub on SchneebergstraĂe in Gladenbach-Erdhausen, where a 43-year-old woman had entered wielding an axe. She had been ejected earlier but returned, demanding money from the owner. Two bystanders managed to restrain her until officers arrived, suffering minor hand injuries in the process. The woman did not attack anyone and was later taken to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation.
Meanwhile, burglars struck a single-family home on An der HauptstraĂe in AmĂśneburg-RĂźdighausen between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The thieves made off with cash and jewellery, though the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been confirmed.
Authorities are now piecing together the events, with multiple police units involved in the investigations. Marburg's Kripo is handling the arson case, while local detectives in Kasseler, Hilden, and Homberg/Efze are examining the other incidents. Witnesses with information about any of the crimes have been urged to come forward.
