BERLIN (AP) — German authorities detained a second man Tuesday in connection with a racist arson attack on a shelter for asylum-seekers 32 years ago in which a Ghanaian man was killed.
Federal prosecutors said Peter St., whose full surname wasn’t released due to privacy rules, was detained by police in the western state of Saarland on suspicion of being an accessory to murder and accessory to attempted murder.
Prosecutors said the suspect, who holds neo-Nazi and racist views, is alleged to have met with other far-right extremists at a bar in the town of Saarlouis on Sept. 18, 1991, and called for attacks on migrant homes.
Peter St., who had a prominent role in the regional skinhead scene, is alleged to have praised attacks occurring in eastern Germany at the time and said that “something should burn or happen here too,” prosecutors claim.
Another man who was present in the bar, identified only as Peter S., is then alleged to have gone to a nearby building housing asylum-seekers, poured gasoline on the staircase and set it alight. A 27-year-old Ghanaian resident, Samuel Kofi Yeboah, died after suffering smoke inhalation and severe burns. Two other residents suffered broken bones after jumping out of windows, while 18 people escaped unhurt.
Peter S. was arrested last year and is currently on trial for murder, attempted murder and fatal arson.
Authorities in Saarland have apologized for police failures in the immediate aftermath of the attack that allowed the suspects to remain free for decades.
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