German house explosion probe targets injured resident

BERLIN – German authorities say a resident of an apartment building that was destroyed in a weekend explosion is suspected of causing the blast by manipulating gas pipes.

Five people were injured in the explosion Saturday night in the western city of Wuppertal. Police and prosecutors said Monday that they have opened an investigation into suspected multiple attempted murder after investigators found evidence that the gas system had been tampered with.

They said that the suspect, a 54-year-old man who lived in the house, was among those severely hurt and could not yet be questioned.

A statement from investigators said he had declared in the past that he no longer wanted to live, but doctors had previously managed to prevent him from acting on that.