Syrian Refugee Taken into Custody Following Berlin Stabbing

Berlin (Eurotoday) – Berlin prosecutors stated that the man arrested after a Spanish tourist was stabbed at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial was a 19-year-old Syrian refugee.

The incident occurred a day before a national election in which concerns over migration are expected to boost the far-right AfD party. Motivated by the Middle Eastern conflict, the suspect had seemingly been planning to target Jews for several weeks, which is why he chose this location, prosecutors noted in a statement.

German police arrested the suspect shortly after the attack, with bloodstains on his hands and trousers.

The 30-year-old Spanish tourist underwent emergency surgery for neck wounds. He was placed in an induced coma but is no longer in a life-threatening condition, according to the statement.

What role does the attack play in Germany’s election?

The election campaign blank”>has been overshadowed by a series of high-profile attacks. The suspects in these cases have migrant backgrounds, shifting the public debate away from Germany’s struggling economy and increasing support for the Alternative for Germany party, which is projected to secure second place.

The AfD has gained new support in western regions from voters frustrated by Germany’s weak economy. The party has focused on restricting migration and addressing political stagnation, drawing increased backing from younger voters.

Additionally, a stabbing in which two people, including a toddler, were killed—allegedly by an Afghan immigrant—prompted the conservative CDU/CSU bloc to break a long-standing taboo on cooperating with the far-right. The parties worked together to pass a parliamentary motion to tighten migration controls with AfD support.

In December, a Saudi man who had lived in Germany for years and whose social media activity suggested sympathies with the AfD, drove a car into a Christmas market, killing six people and injuring many more.