After the nocturnal fire in the Vienna Police Station, the investigators now suspect that the six detainees wanted to send a signal.
The day after a fire set in a cell of the Vienna Police Detention Center (PAZ) Hernalser belts, the investigators starting to doubt about the version of the collective suicide attempt by the inmates. The six men, after they had infected mattresses and bedding, locked themselves in the adjoining washroom and tried to seal it with a rag.
The fire broke out at around 10:30 pm during the night on Saturday in a cell on the first floor of the PAZ. Six cell inmates – five Afghans and one Iranian – had set the fire and blocked the cell door with a locker. Policemen came in the room and found one of the inmates motionless on the floor. He was taken by the officials, the other five were taken to safety by the Viennese professional fire brigade.
The investigators found on a first ascent a heavily scorched DIN A5 slip on the ground. Then the inmates put forward the motives for their act, namely that they were without prospects because of the imminent deportation and had no more patience. Also deportation dates – apparently already known – they stated in the letter. The investigators initially thought of a farewell letter and a collective suicide attempt.
This was confirmed according to police spokesman Harald Sörös in further investigations but not. The six inmates are likely to have put the fire in the cell and then gone to the washroom. This is a connected to the cell wet room with its own door. Before this, they put a shred, apparently to prevent flue gases penetrated into the wet room. Finally they closed the door. According to Söörös, this incident indicates that the inmates wanted to draw attention to their situation and set a signal.
Sources: Die Presse