The detained Syrian refugee, suspected of the attack at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin last night, is known to police in the eastern state of Saxony for his previous offenses, DPA reported, citing local authorities. Last night he stabbed a 30-year-old Spanish tourist in the neck, BTA reported.
The 19-year-old's other offenses are not serious or systematic, according to data from the Saxony Interior Ministry, where his file is. The Syrian entered Germany in 2023. and has been living in Saxony since then, the ministry said today.
He is known to the police for "minor crimes of a general nature" that have no "connection with national security", it added, meaning that his offenses are not being considered in a political context.
The man was registered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees under the Geneva Convention on Refugees. He was not required to leave the country and lived in a refugee center in Leipzig with other refugees, according to information from DPA. The Syrian is suspected of having attacked the Spaniard from behind with a knife last night and seriously wounded him in the neck. He was arrested in Berlin a few hours after the incident.