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1993 Solingen Arson Attack

SOLVED1993Untere Wernerstraße 81, Solingen, Germany3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:Brandanschlag solingen 1993.jpg
File:Brandanschlag solingen 1993.jpg — Credit: Sir James · CC BY-SA 2.0 de

In the early hours of 29 May 1993, four young men with ties to the far-right skinhead scene in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, set fire to the home of a Turkish family at Untere Wernerstraße 81. According to the police report, the fire — set with gasoline — broke out at the building's entrance at 1:38 a.m. Firefighters arrived within five minutes, but the blaze had already spread through the house. Five family members died: Gürsün İnce, 27, died after jumping from a window while holding her four-year-old daughter, who survived; the girls Hatice Genç, 18, Gülistan Öztürk, 12, Hülya Genç, 9, and Saime Genç, 4, died in the flames. Fourteen other family members were injured, some severely, including Bekir Genç, 15, who jumped from a burning window, and a six-month-old infant and a three-year-old child who suffered life-threatening injuries. Mevlüde Genç, then 50 and the family's oldest member, escaped through a window and alerted neighbors; she lost two daughters, two granddaughters, and a niece in the fire.

The attack occurred amid a wave of anti-foreigner violence in Germany following reunification, including a December 1988 arson in Schwandorf, the September 1991 riots in Hoyerswerda, the August 1992 riot in Rostock-Lichtenhagen, and a November 1992 arson in Mölln that killed three Turkish residents. Three days before the Solingen attack, the German Bundestag had voted to amend the constitution to restrict asylum rights. The Solingen fire, which killed five people, was described as the most severe instance of anti-foreigner violence in Germany up to that time. It was followed by protests among Turkish diaspora communities in several German cities and by large solidarity demonstrations among other Germans.

The four defendants — Felix Köhnen, 16; Christian Reher, 16; Christian Buchholz, 19; and Markus Gartmann, 23 — were members of Solingen's far-right skinhead scene who trained together at a martial arts school later revealed to have been run by an informant for North Rhine-Westphalia's domestic intelligence agency. Gartmann confessed to police and, separately, before a magistrate, and apologized to the victims, though he later withdrew the confession, saying it had been made under duress. Reher also confessed but changed his account repeatedly. Köhnen and Buchholz denied any involvement. Prosecutors cited hatred of foreigners as the motive. The trial opened in April 1994 before five judges of Düsseldorf's Higher Regional Court, with Köhnen, Reher, and Buchholz charged as minors and Gartmann charged as an adult.

In October 1995, all four defendants were found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and arson. Köhnen, Reher, and Buchholz received the maximum juvenile sentence of 10 years; Gartmann was sentenced to 15 years. The Federal Court of Justice of Germany upheld the convictions on appeal in 1997. The family separately sued for civil damages and was awarded approximately 270,000 German marks, along with a monthly pension for one severely burned victim.

Memorial services drew senior German officials, including President Richard von Weizsäcker; Chancellor Helmut Kohl did not attend. A memorial was unveiled a year after the attack near the school Hatice Genç had attended. In 1996, the German government awarded Mevlüde Genç the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) in recognition of her subsequent advocacy for understanding between Turks and Germans, and in 2008 Germany established the Genç Prize in her name to honor similar work. In September 2005, Reher was sentenced to four months in prison for using the Hitler salute on two occasions.

Key facts

Victims
Gürsün İnce, Hatice Genç, Hülya Genç, Mevlüde Genç, Gülistan Öztürk, Bekir Genç, Saime Genç
Date
1993
Location
Untere Wernerstraße 81, Solingen, Germany
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1993-05-29

    Fire set with gasoline at the entrance of a Turkish family's home at Untere Wernerstraße 81 in Solingen at approximately 1:38 a.m.; five family members died and fourteen others were injured.

  2. 1994-04

    Trial of the four defendants began before five judges of Düsseldorf's Higher Regional Court.

  3. 1995-10

    All four defendants were found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and arson; three received 10-year sentences and Markus Gartmann received 15 years.

  4. 1996

    The German government awarded Mevlüde Genç the Bundesverdienstkreuz for her advocacy for understanding between Turks and Germans following the attack.

  5. 1997

    The Federal Court of Justice of Germany upheld the convictions on appeal.

  6. 2005-09

    Christian Reher, one of the convicted perpetrators, was sentenced to four months in prison for using the Hitler salute on two occasions.

  7. 2008

    Germany instituted the Genç Prize in Mevlüde Genç's name to honor work on understanding and integration.

Best coverage

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People

  • Gürsün İnce

    VICTIM

    27 years old; died after jumping from a window while holding her four-year-old daughter, who survived.

  • Hatice Genç

    VICTIM

    18 years old; died in the fire.

  • Hülya Genç

    VICTIM

    9 years old; died in the fire.

  • Mevlüde Genç

    VICTIM

    50 years old at the time and the family's oldest member; escaped through a window and alerted neighbors; lost two daughters, two granddaughters, and a niece in the attack. Later honored by the German government for advocacy work.

  • Christian Reher

    CONVICTED

    16 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; initially confessed, then repeatedly changed his account; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.

  • Gülistan Öztürk

    VICTIM

    12 years old; died in the fire.

  • Markus Gartmann

    CONVICTED

    23 years old at the time of the attack and charged as an adult; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to 15 years; confessed to police and before a magistrate, then withdrew the confession at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.

  • Bekir Genç

    VICTIM

    15 years old; jumped from a burning window and survived with severe injuries.

  • Saime Genç

    VICTIM

    4 years old; died in the fire.

  • Felix Köhnen

    CONVICTED

    16 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; denied involvement at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.

  • Christian Buchholz

    CONVICTED

    19 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; denied involvement at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:Brandanschlag solingen 1993.jpg

    crime scene press

    File:Brandanschlag solingen 1993.jpg

    Credit: Sir James · CC BY-SA 2.0 de · Source

Places

Untere Wernerstraße 81, Solingen, Germany

51.1841, 7.0899

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A racially motivated arson attack on a Turkish family's home in Solingen, Germany killed five people and injured fourteen others in May 1993; four young men with ties to the far-right skinhead scene were later convicted of murder, attempted murder, and arson.
Where did the arson happen?
Untere Wernerstraße 81, Solingen, Germany.
Who was convicted?
Christian Reher (16 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; initially confessed, then repeatedly changed his account; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.), Markus Gartmann (23 years old at the time of the attack and charged as an adult; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to 15 years; confessed to police and before a magistrate, then withdrew the confession at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.), Felix Köhnen (16 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; denied involvement at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.), and Christian Buchholz (19 years old at the time of the attack; convicted in October 1995 of murder, attempted murder, and arson; sentenced to the maximum juvenile term of 10 years; denied involvement at trial; conviction upheld on appeal in 1997.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Germany

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC1993 Solingen arson attackWikipedia · 2026-07-12
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-12
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — spiegel.despiegel.de · 2026-07-12

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026