Berlin police have detained a man who stabbed two Germans in random attacks in Charlottenburg, a quiet district in the Berlin metropolitan area. The attacker was a Syrian national who had recently arrived in Germany from Sweden.
Berlin police said they detained a man Tuesday who attacked and injured two people in the city’s Charlottenburg neighborhood, further jolting Germany days after a deadly Christmas market attack elsewhere in the country.
Police said the attacker was a Syrian citizen with residency in Sweden.
“Initial findings indicate that the suspect may have signs of mental illness and that there is not indication for a terrorist motivation,” police spokeswoman Jane Berndt told The Associated Press, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
While the Berlin police don’t see any indication of a terrorist motivation, that claim is a little hard to swallow, given recent events in traditional German Christmas markets around that country – at least one of which was carried out by, you guessed it, a Syrian national.
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Fortunately, it seems neither victim was killed or seriously injured, and “several passersby” subdued the attacker. There was a time when being “subdued” by a group of Germans would have had a distinctly unpleasant connotation, and while Germany has changed a lot in recent years, at least some were still willing to step up.
A police statement called it an “attempted murder.” It said the man attacked two men in a supermarket and on a sidewalk in front of a nearby hotel shortly before noon, allegedly stabbing them with a knife he had stolen from the supermarket.
Both were taken to a hospital, and police said one was released after outpatient treatment.
Berlin media outlets earlier reported that the man appeared to be randomly attacking. They reported that several passersby pounced on the attacker and overpowered him until police arrived.
It’s unclear why the attacker was in Germany, when he left Sweden, or why he was in Sweden in the first place – the Berlin police have not released the attacker’s name or any details other than the Sweden connection.
BREAKING:
Several people stabbed at random in central Berlin.
Police have arrested a suspect who recently arrived in Germany from Sweden. He’s a citizen of Syria. pic.twitter.com/FMQRnlHgvb
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 31, 2024
In recent years, there has been a steady flow of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa into Europe. There are, as of this writing, near unto a million immigrants from Syria alone in Germany. This may be changing since the recent fall of the Assad regime; Germany has stopped processing asylum applications from Syrians. Europe in general, however, has seen this mass influx for decades now; it is changing European culture and Europe’s cities, and not for the better. The attacks on traditional Christmas markets may be a presage of things to come in Germany in particular.
This is a developing story. We will continue to monitor, and bring you updates as events warrant.
