Bavarian Criminal Police Assumes Investigation Following Explosion in Augsburg Railway Station District
Following an explosion in Augsburg's railway station district that left two people injured, Bavaria's State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation. The circumstances remain unclear.
Criminal Police Assume Case Following Explosion with Two Injured in Augsburg
Following an explosion in Augsburg city centre, the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has assumed the investigation, according to reports by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Previously, the criminal investigations department at Augsburg Police Headquarters had been responsible for the case. According to a spokesman for the Augsburg public prosecutor's office, there is no new investigative update so far.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday at around 3.15 a.m. in the passage of an office building opposite Augsburg's main railway station. Two young people sustained blast injuries and were lightly wounded. Investigators believe that the two were mere passers-by who were caught up in the incident by chance and were not deliberately targeted as victims.
Several media outlets reported that a hand grenade had been thrown into the passage. The police have not officially confirmed this to date. Authorities have also remained silent on reports that a specific business may have been the target of the attack.
The LKA deployed specialists to the scene immediately after the explosion. In cases of explosives offences, LKA experts are routinely called in by local criminal investigation departments, although this does not necessarily mean that the LKA assumes full responsibility for the case. Initially, none of the authorities involved provided a specific reason for the transfer of responsibility.
"The investigation is proceeding with an open mind in all directions," said a spokesman for Augsburg Police Headquarters. In doing so, investigators are also examining possible connections to similar earlier incidents. In July, police had reported that one or more unknown perpetrators had fired shots at an Augsburg billiards café at night. At that time, nobody was injured and the venue was closed when the attack occurred.
Approximately five hours after the explosion, a suspicious object was discovered in the adjacent main railway station on Wednesday morning, triggering a bomb alert. All rail traffic came to a standstill for approximately one and a half hours, and the station was evacuated. Ultimately, the object proved to be harmless — a false alarm.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung