Funeral held in Bulgaria for victims of Solingen arson attack
The funeral of Turkish-origin Solingen arson victims was held in Bulgaria as outrage grows over the tragic loss in Germany
The bodies of four Turkish-origin Bulgarian citizens, including two infants, were laid to rest in Bulgaria following the arson-induced fire in Solingen, Germany.
The bodies were transported to Kostievo village near Plovdiv, Bulgaria, with the assistance of the Diyanet Foundation's Funeral Transport Assistance Fund and the Bulgarian Muslim Community's support.
The ceremony in the village commenced with a prayer led by Filibe Regional Mufti Taner Veli.
Taner Veli expressed deep sorrow, saying: "Today, we face a great tragedy, a disaster for Bulgaria and the Filibe region. This massacre and arson is an act that goes beyond humanity, one that has no place in any religion."
Celal Faik, Secretary-General of the Bulgarian Muslim Community, strongly condemned the incident, describing it as "a racist attack, a neo-Nazi attack, an Islamophobic attack."
The funeral ceremony was attended by a delegation from the Bulgarian Muslim Community, as well as Korhan Kungeru, Türkiye's Consul General in Plovdiv, and members of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Party, mainly consisting of Turks and Muslims.
What happened?
The tragic incident occurred in a four-story building in the Hohscheid district of Solingen, Germany, where four Turkish-origin Bulgarian citizens, including two infants, lost their lives, and nine others were injured.
A preliminary report by the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that the fire was deliberately started.
According to the expert report, the fire started in the old building's stairwell and quickly spread to the roof because of the "chimney effect" within five minutes.
The presence of residues in the wooden stairwell led to the conclusion that the fire was deliberately set.
Source: Newsroom
