A Syrian refugee has been arrested for a stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial, where a Spanish tourist was seriously injured. The 19-year-old suspect, who arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and successfully applied for asylum, reportedly wanted to kill Jews. The attack occurred just days before snap parliamentary elections in Germany, where migration has become a contentious issue following five deadly attacks involving immigrants in the past nine months.
The victim, a 30-year-old, underwent emergency surgery after sustaining life-threatening injuries to the neck but is no longer in danger. The suspect was apprehended nearly three hours after the attack when he approached officers with blood on his hands and clothes. He was found with a backpack containing a prayer mat, a Quran, and a sheet with verses from the Quran along with the knife used in the attack.
Investigators believe there is a link between the attack and the conflict in the Middle East, as the suspect allegedly decided in recent weeks to kill Jews. He had chosen to carry out the attack at the memorial dedicated to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. Authorities are looking into whether the suspect suffers from mental illness and he is currently under investigation for attempted murder and bodily harm. The suspect was not known to police or judicial authorities in Berlin prior to the attack.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
