A Austrian attacks a man in Berlin because of the Star of David
A 60-year-old man was violently attacked on Friday afternoon in Gleisdreieck Park in the Berlin-Kreuzberg area for wearing a necklace with a Star of David. Police reported that the attacker, a 29-year-old Austrian national, hurled anti-Semitic insults at the man, then brandished a knife and threatened to kill him.
The police explained that the suspect chased the victim while brandishing a knife and made stabbing motions towards him, threatening him with aggressive words. The incident was observed by an officer off duty, who quickly reported it to a nearby police unit that intervened swiftly. According to the statement, one of the officers had to draw his weapon, which prompted the assailant to throw the knife, leading to his immediate arrest.
A judge ordered a blood sample to be taken from the young man to verify his condition, and he was also examined by a doctor. He was later transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
A report by the newspaper "Tagesspiegel" quoted the victim as saying he was walking his dog when a young man wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh approached him. After noticing a Star of David necklace, he shouted in his face: "Child killer, stay away!" and then pulled a knife from his pocket.
The State Protection Department of the local criminal police office took over the investigation of the incident as a politically motivated crime.