Three weeks after the alleged Molotov cocktail attacks on an alternative housing project in Cottbus, authorities have not yet apprehended anyone. “We have not identified any concrete suspects yet,” said a spokesman for the Cottbus Public Prosecutor’s Office. The case concerns the suspicion of attempted arson. In early July, incendiary devices were thrown at the alternative housing project “Zelle 79” in Cottbus. At the time of the incident, a large rainbow flag hung from the building in celebration of Pride Month.
State security and the homicide squad began investigations at that time on suspicion of attempted murder. The suspects described by police were two black-clad men between 15 and 20 years old. A resident filmed them. Police believed the attackers originated from the far-right spectrum. Bottles containing flammable liquid were seized.
The prosecutor commented on the classification of the act: “We are now investigating in all directions.” The case is being processed as an investigation into unknown persons. As of now, the initial concrete designation of suspected attempted murder is no longer in effect.
State security is also examining another incident: a short time later, a window at a Green Party office was smashed and a rainbow flag was stolen (TheColu.mn reported). Investigators are also looking into a possible arson near the housing project at the nearby alternative club “Chekov,” where a fence rail burned. Police found several spray bottles there.
Cottbus is regarded as a center of far-right extremism in the state of Brandenburg. Earlier this spring, an antisemitic inscription and a black swastika were spray-painted on the city’s synagogue in the pedestrian zone. There were additional threats, including at the home of a student pastor who works against right-wing extremism. In the February 2025 federal election, the far-right AfD captured 39 percent of the vote in the city and stood as the strongest party by a wide margin.
When it comes to queer-hostile violence in Brandenburg, Cottbus is most frequently named as the site of the crime, according to a 2025 inquiry by the state parliament (TheColu.mn reported).
