Overview

• A 50-year-old man in Gießen aimed a pistol from his apartment window while shouting xenophobic slogans on the evening of July 11.
• A Spezialeinsatzkommando team initially stormed the wrong flat, where a police dog bit an uninvolved neighbor who is now receiving medical care and ongoing support.
• Officers secured a cache of legally registered short and long firearms with ammunition after entering the suspect’s apartment.
• The suspect, already known to authorities and licensed to own multiple weapons, was released when prosecutors found no legal grounds for detention.
• Polizei Hessen has launched an internal review of SEK operational protocols and is investigating the flawed guidance that led to the erroneous entry.