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KNIFE HORROR
Berlin Holocaust Memorial knife attacker was asylum seeker ‘who said he wanted to kill Jews’ & ‘slit tourist’s throat’
He was already known to Saxon police for multiple offences, reports say
THE suspect behind a sick knife attack at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial said he wanted to "kill people out of hatred of Jews", cops have said.
The man, a Syrian refugee, reportedly attempted to slit the throat of a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from behind when horror unfolded on Friday evening.
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German outlet has named the suspect as 19-year-old Wassim al M.
The victim, believed to be from Bilbao, suffered life threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
Berlin police said Friday that the victim was injured with a sharp object when the attack unfolded around 6pm.
The victim's life was saved by quick medical intervention, and he was placed in an artificial coma for some time.
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He is now in a stable condition.
A KNOWN OFFENDER
New details reveal that Wassim al M. was already known to Saxon police for multiple offences but not classified as a repeat or serious offender, Bild reports.
The Saxon Interior Ministry stated that his previous crimes were "simple crimes of general criminality" and had no apparent political motive.
But during his interrogation the attacker reportedly admitted that he had planned the attack for weeks, driven by the hatred of Jews.
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A joint statement from the police and the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office said: "According to previous investigations and current knowledge, there are apparently connections with the Middle East conflict.
"According to current knowledge, in particular based on corresponding statements made by the accused to the police, the plan to kill Jews is said to have been maturing in his mind for several weeks."
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Investigators discovered a Koran, a prayer rug, and a hunting knife - believed to be the attack weapon - in his backpack, according to Bild.
After the attack, Wassim al M. fled the scene, sparking a major police manhunt.
Around three hours later, Berlin police arrested him near the crime scene, still covered in blood and carrying the suspected weapon.
According to asylum records seen by Bild, Wassim al M. arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor in 2023.
At the time, he claimed he was fleeing persecution from the Assad regime in Syria, saying he had been hunted, imprisoned, and tortured.
His asylum application was processed over 15 months, and in October 2024, he was granted refugee protection status.
He had been living in a refugee shelter in Leipzig’s Zentrum-Nord district with around 230 others.
Cops say there is currently no evidence that the he is connected to other people or organisations, reports.
Wassim al M. is due to appear before a judge on Saturday.
HORROR SCENES
The vile attack took place on the northern side of the 19,000sq metre monument made up of 2,700 grey concrete slabs, near the US Embassy.
Cops cordoned off the crime scene between the Memorial and the Embassy in Berlin's Mitte district on Friday night.
They later confirmed they detained a blood-stained suspect after a manhunt was triggered.
A "major operation" was launched immediately after the attack to track down the perpetrator who was believed to still be armed.
Cops found blood-stained clothing at the scene which they seized as evidence.
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At around 9pm local time, Berlin Police stated that a suspect had been arrested near the scene after finding him with "visible blood stains".
They said: "Our officers have arrested a suspect near the crime scene.
"The person's identity is being checked and the investigation is ongoing."
Images showed the suspect surrounded by officers and held face-down on the ground.
The police later said: "Our emergency services arrested the man due to visible blood stains.
"The investigation and the crime scene work were carried out jointly by and one of our .
"A larger area around the crime scene is currently being searched for clues by additional emergency services, police dogs and the police helicopter."
It is not clear if the victim is known to the suspect.
Berlin fire services spokesman Dominik Pritz said that six people who witnessed the incident and suffered from shock were cared for by emergency services.
Police spokesman Florian Nath added that officers arrived to find the victim had "injuries from a stabbing weapon" and that there was no sign of it having been dumped in the nearby area.
Before the arrest was made, the spokesman said that the suspect was "on the run" and "witnesses claimed to have seen a man running away."
A local AFP reporter who was nearby, said a firetruck with a cherry picker crane was being used to try to gain a bird's eye view of the sprawling site to look for the attacker.
Berlin cops said in a statement on X: "At around 6pm, a man was seriously injured by an unknown person in the Field of Stelae at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in #Mitte.
"The injured man was taken to hospital. Rescue workers are on site caring for several people who had to witness the events.
"Investigations are ongoing at the crime scene."
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ATTACK FEARS
The incident comes just hours after a Russian teenager was arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in the German capital.
An 18-year-old had been attempting to flee Germany at the Brandenburg Airport when he was detained, Bild reported.
According to the outlet, the arrest involving riot police and specialist officers came after cops received a tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency.
German police confirmed that the Russian national was detained on Thursday and put into investigative custody on Friday as they look into claims he was planning an attack.
No comment was made regarding the background of the attack or any possible motive.
Meanwhile, just hours after the stabbing in Berlin, Swedish police said they detained three men near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, on suspicion of preparing to commit violent crime.
Police spokesperson Susanna Rinaldo told Reuters: "We are unable to comment on the potential motive."
No suggestion has been made that these incidents are connected but tensions are high, particularly in Germany.
The nation's security and immigration policies are under huge scrutiny before the election on Sunday.
Just days ago, the country was rocked by a suspected terror attack when an Afghan asylum seeker ploughed his car into a group of demonstrators in Munich last Thursday.
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A 37-year-old mother and her two-year-old daughter were killed in the attack and injured at least 26 others.
Extremism and terror cops are probing the shocking smash, with the 24-year-old driver being arrested at the scene.
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