Esther Imonmion
Police in the German city of Hanau, near Frankfurt, say about 50 vehicles have been smeared with what appears to be human blood, many of them marked with swastikas, in an incident that has shocked local residents.
Authorities were first alerted late Wednesday night when a man discovered a car in the Lamboy district covered with a reddish liquid in the shape of a swastika. Officers later found numerous other defaced vehicles, as well as walls and postboxes in the surrounding area.
Under German law, the public display of swastikas and other Nazi symbols is strictly prohibited. Police said preliminary tests indicated the liquid was likely human blood, though the source remains unknown.
“There is still no clue as to where it came from; officials are not yet aware of any injuries in connection with the incident,” police said in a statement, adding that investigations were ongoing.
Local authorities have appealed to the public for information to help “solve the mystery” and identify those responsible for spreading swastikas in blood across the city.
Reacting to the vandalism, Bundestag Vice President Omid Nouripour said the act was deeply disturbing and must be clarified swiftly.
“This act strikes at the very heart of Hanau and reopens the wounds of the far-right terrorist attack five years ago,” Nouripour wrote on X, referring to the February 2020 shootings in which a gunman killed nine people of immigrant background.
Officials say the latest discovery of swastikas daubed in blood serves as a grim reminder of Germany’s ongoing struggle against far-right extremism and the painful legacy it continues to evoke in Hanau.