Gießen synagogue evacuated after antisemitic letter releases unknown powder

The letter and the evacuation

At midday on 12 November, a letter sent to the Gießen synagogue released an as yet unidentified powder when it was opened, police said. The letter contained antisemitic and threatening content. Police said 26 people were inside the synagogue at the time and were led out as a precaution. The Hesse state criminal police office (LKA) in Wiesbaden has taken over the investigation. The synagogue, which is part of a community centre, was reopened in 1995, according to the Jewish Community of Gießen, and the community itself has existed since 1978. The building serves as the Jewish house of worship and as a religious and cultural centre.

Cordons and checks

Police believe four people were in the immediate vicinity when the letter was opened. The rescue service examined them, and all four were released on site without needing treatment. Police lifted the wide-ranging cordons in the late afternoon and said there was no danger to the general public. The synagogue itself stayed closed for the time being, a police spokeswoman said, and security precautions in the area were already very high. The fire brigade set up a decontamination tent, where emergency workers who come into contact with hazardous substances can be cleaned. The Hessian Broadcasting (HR) studio in the immediate vicinity also had to be cleared, according to the public broadcaster, which had reported on the incident before the police.

In the synagogue26

Near the letter when opened4

In the synagogue

26 people

Near the letter when opened

4 people

Data from the article text

Investigation

The LKA is now examining the powder to establish what substance it is and whether it poses a risk. Police said the background to the letter and the identity of its author are still being investigated. For investigative reasons, police initially gave no details of the letter's content beyond its antisemitic and threatening nature. Officers from the Polizeipräsidium Mittelhessen, the professional fire brigade and the rescue service were all on site during the operation.

Political reaction

Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) called the threat against the Jewish community and its synagogue intolerable. He said that anyone who threatens people with hatred in the country would be punished with full severity, and he praised the speed of the police response.

“It is good that our police reacted quickly.”

A similar case in Speyer

A possibly similar case occurred in mid-October in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, when a threatening letter was sent by post to the Jewish community there. Its author threatened to blow up the synagogue. A powder found in that letter was judged harmless by experts from the state criminal police office after testing. The criminal police opened an investigation, but the perpetrators had not been found. Rhineland-Palatinate's Minister-President Gordon Schnieder (CDU) condemned that threat sharply at the time.

“The incident at the synagogue in Speyer shocks me.”