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Lübeck Arson, 30 Years On: Survivors Seek Fresh Leads as City Hosts Remembrance

A lack of charges over three decades has fueled new pressure to revisit the case.

Overview

  • Initiative Hafenstraße '96 has launched the #zeitzureden witness appeal to prompt renewed investigations, with no relevant tips reported about a month after the call began.
  • Lübeck Mayor Jan Lindenau is receiving survivors and families at city hall, with a demonstration on Saturday and a commemoration at the former site on Sunday supported by the city.
  • Researcher Fabian Virchow cites strong indications of a right‑wing motive but assesses the likelihood of a new indictment as very low.
  • Four neo-Nazis from Grevesmühlen were detained and released shortly after the 1996 attack, with reported subsequent admissions never leading to charges, while resident Safwan E. was twice tried and acquitted.
  • Survivors and activists demand a parliamentary inquiry in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and broader institutional recognition of the attack in official histories of right‑wing violence.