Overview
- The public prosecutor announced on Monday, July 6, 2026, that the investigation into the fire at the WDR 'Maus' statue has been provisionally closed because there are no actionable traces to follow.
- The statue was set alight in the night of July 26, 2025, and investigators say an unidentified person arrived on a women's bicycle, stayed for over an hour and repeatedly added combustible material to the fire.
- Police released photos of a possible suspect in late November 2025 and removed them from the wanted page weeks before July 2026 after the court authorization for public release expired.
- Local supporters tended the damaged figure with symbolic 'plasters' after the attack and the refurbished statue was returned to its spot in front of the WDR building at the end of August 2025.
- The suspension is provisional and leaves the file administratively open so the probe can resume if fresh evidence or witness information emerges, which would be the main factor to change the case's status.