German police arrested a suspect after a stabbing at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial left a person seriously injured on Friday evening local time.
Authorities have not provided a motive or established any link between the stabbing incident and the Holocaust memorial, which is recognized as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, or the nearby U.S. Embassy.
The stabbing also came two days before Germany’s national elections on Sunday.
Police officers detain a suspect at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin after another man was seriously injured on Friday. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
During a briefing with the press, police representative Florian Nath mentioned that the assault occurred at approximately 6 p.m. and speculated that it was carried out using a knife or possibly another weapon.
The suspect was arrested around three hours later after he was seen near the memorial.
“He had blood on his hands, and this made him very suspicious,” Nath said.
A police officer stands in front of the Holocaust memorial after a man was attacked at the site in Berlin on Friday. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Law enforcement later revealed that an expanded area surrounding the site of the crime was under investigation, with additional emergency responders, police canines, and a police helicopter combing the area for potential evidence.
Benjamin Weinthal, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
