Berlin authorities believe that the 19-year-old Syrian man suspected of stabbing a Spanish tourist at the city’s Holocaust Memorial on Friday had been planning to kill Jewish people for weeks.
The attack occurred in the evening when the assailant approached the 30-year-old victim from behind and stabbed him before fleeing. Police arrested a man nearby after noticing blood stains on his hands and clothes. Officers found a prayer rug, a Quran, and the suspected weapon in his backpack, suggesting a religious motive.
The victim, who suffered serious neck wounds, underwent emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma. His condition has since stabilized, and his life is no longer in danger.
Berlin police are investigating potential links to the Middle East conflict but have found no direct connections to any groups or individuals so far. They are also assessing whether the suspect has a history of mental illness, though he had no prior criminal record or police alerts.
Six eyewitnesses are receiving psychological support from local authorities following the traumatic event.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser condemned the attack as an “abhorrent and brutal crime” and vowed to ensure the suspect faces severe legal consequences. She also reiterated Germany’s stance on deporting violent offenders, stating, “We will use all means to deport violent offenders back to Syria.”
The attack adds to growing security concerns in Germany, where several stabbing and vehicle-ramming incidents have taken place in recent months. Similar attacks have occurred in Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg, and Munich, with all alleged attackers being migrants. These incidents have intensified debates over immigration policies ahead of Germany’s federal elections on Sunday.
The Berlin attack took place at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which was inaugurated in 2005 to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The timing and location of the attack have heightened fears of rising antisemitic violence in Germany and beyond.
Just hours after the Berlin stabbing, Swedish police detained three men near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm on suspicion of planning a violent act. Authorities have not linked the two incidents, but both highlight growing security concerns across Europe.
With tensions high and authorities on alert, Germany and other European nations are bracing for further security challenges amid rising geopolitical unrest.
