Germany: Police Searching for Man for Setting His Wife on Fire

Police in the east German town of Gera are searching for a 46-year-old Georgian man who allegedly poured a gasoline-like liquid on his wife and set her on fire as they were riding on a tram. The man fled the scene, and the wife was flown to a hospital by rescue helicopter in critical condition.

The below article from Bild (German) is translated by Fousesquawk. 

He allegedly set a woman (46) on fire

Police hunting attacker from Gera

Caption: Wanted: Tengizi Kakiashvili reportedly doused a woman with gasoline. Photo: State Police Directorate, Gera

Gera (Thuringen)- The police are conducting a large-scale search for a Georgian (46) in Thuringia. The man allegedly squirted a gasoline-like liquid on his 46-year-old wife on a tram in Gera (93,600 residents) and set her on fire. He is on the run.

Tengizi Kakiashvili is about 180 centimeters tall, of Georgian origin, and dressed in a black work jacket with blue lettering. At the time of the crime, he was also wearing a black cap.

Furthermore, Mr Kakiashvili and the victim are in a relationship with each other. He is her husband.

Wanted man considered dangerous

“At this time, it cannot be ruled out that the wanted man poses a danger to the public,” the police say.

Should people come across the wanted man, they should immediately call the police. The police warn,  ”Please do not put  yourself in danger.”

Caption: Police spokeswoman Katja Ridder reports on the ongoing manhunt measures.

Attack was “a crime of attempted murder”

The crime took place around 10 am on line 3, (and) the tram was traveling to the most heavily-inhabited city quarter of Lusan. There is a large prefabricated residential settlement here.

When the emergency stop was activated and the doors of the tram opened, the attacker was able to flee. The police are investigating a “crime of attempted murder”.

Caption: Fire remnants in the aisle of the tram. This is where the brutal attack took place.

The family lived in the eastern quarter

According to Bild‘s information, both the victim and perpetrator are Georgians. Both reportedly boarded the tram together. The police would not confirm Bild‘s information, but they searched the residence of both (victim and perpetrator) in the eastern quarter of Gera.

As Bild learned, a scent sample was taken here, so that the search dog could trace the man’s flight route.

The victim of the fire was flown to a special clinic in a rescue helicopter.

Tram driver extinguished the (fire)

With presence of mind, the tram driver grabbed a fire extinguisher at the Gruner Weg stop and put out the fire (on the 46-year-old).

The critically injured Georgian woman was treated medically at the scene and flown to a hospital in a rescue helicopter.

Caption: The tram driver fought the flames with this fire extinguisher.

Investigation of crime of attempted murder

“We are investigating a crime of attempted murder. Whether the flammable liquid was gasoline is still under investigation,” said police spokeswoman Katja Ridder.

Bottle on tram seized

On the tram-in the doorway- the perpetrator allegedly left a crushed 1.5-liter bottle. According to the label, the actual content was orange-colored ACE- multi-fruit juice, but in the bottle was found a cloudy yellow liquid-similar to gasoline. 

Caption: This bottle was found on the tram. Did the perpetrator squirt flammable liquid from it?

Passengers cared for by religious clerics

There were reportedly about 10 passengers on the tram; they had to witness the terrible act. The people were cared for by experts at the scene. According to police, none of them were injured. They are now considered important witnesses.

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