At the end of January, a potential arson attack on Baden‑Württemberg Green candidate Cem Özdemir was apparently averted. According to “Der Spiegel”, a plastic tube packed with flammable material was discovered in the timber framework of a historic half‑timbered building in Metzingen (Reutlingen district). Police reports initially described only a “wick” but the tube had been wedged between the beams of the old cellar so far that the wood had already begun to cook and blacken.
Around 400 people had gathered that evening for Özdemir’s campaign appearance. Green state parliamentarian Cindy Holmberg spotted the flame and said, “It looked dangerous. The burning tube was deliberately placed there”. She added that no one knows what might have happened if it hadn’t been discovered. An on‑site security officer extinguished the fire.
The State Security Centre at the Stuttgart Attorney General’s Office and the State Criminal Police Office are investigating a possible attempt at serious arson, with a potential political motive.
Özdemir learned about the incident only after the event. “Fortunately the burning object was found quickly” he told “Der Spiegel”. “The police acted very prudently”. He stressed that campaigning for him means, first and foremost, being present on the ground and seeking dialogue. The incident, he said, has unsettled him deeply because “when the space for open discussion is attacked, the foundations of our democracy are at stake”.
