Attack at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin: one man seriously injured, suspect arrested

A 30-year-old man was violently attacked on Friday, February 21, around 6 p.m., within the grounds of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Seriously injured in the neck, he had to undergo emergency surgery that saved his life. Six witnesses, in shock, were taken care of by emergency services.

A highly symbolic site targeted

The Memorial, inaugurated in 2005 near the Brandenburg Gate, commemorates the memory of the millions of Jews who were victims of Nazism with more than 2,000 concrete steles. This attack, occurring in a place steeped in history, has sparked strong emotions in Germany and beyond.

A suspect arrested with traces of blood

Three hours after the attack, a suspect, a 19-year-old Syrian refugee, was arrested near the site. His hands and pants were stained with blood. During his arrest, he was carrying a bag containing a prayer mat, a Quran, handwritten verses, and the presumed weapon of the crime.

According to the police and the prosecutor’s office, the assailant had allegedly planned his act for several weeks with the intention of “killing Jews.” They also mention a possible link to the conflict in the Middle East.

A context of rising tensions and violence

This attack comes amid a climate of insecurity marked by several recent attacks in Germany. On the same day, an 18-year-old Russian national, suspected of planning a political attack in Berlin, was arrested.

The far right, seizing on these events, denounces what it calls government laxity in the face of threats, further fueling divisions in public opinion just days before the legislative elections.