German police detain 61-year-old man for injuring three in Berlin grenade, knife attack

German police detained a 61-year-old man on Saturday afterthree people were injured in a hand grenade and knife assault in Berlin.

Two women, 42 and 48, and a 61-year-old male were injured when the assailant threw a grenade into the door of an apartment building in the Reinickendorf district of Berlin, according to police.

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The suspect reportedly then rushed in the direction of two of the victims, assaulted them with a knife, and injured them. The victims were moved to a hospital. According to a statement from the police, the man's injuries were potentially fatal.

The assailant ran away and was later apprehended by police in a neighbouring yard.

Authorities were still looking into the attack's potential causes and if the perpetrator and victims were acquainted. As is typical in Germany, they withheld any information on the victims' or attackers' identities.

However, as per German news agency DPA, the injured man is from Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the suspected assailant is a Serb and the two ladies are also of Serbian origin, reports said.

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There have been a number of deadly knife assaults in Germany. Several knife assaults have been linked to persons having major psychiatric issues, however, some have been discovered to have been committed by extremists.

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In May 2021, a Syrian man was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering a German man and injuring his partner in a homophobic attack in the eastern city of Dresden.

Another Syrian man was sentenced to 14 years in jail in December 2022 for using a knife to hurt four people on a train. In 2021, a Somali national who had fatally stabbed three persons in the southern German city of Wurzburg was admitted to a mental health facility.


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