On 21 February 2025, a knife attack occurred at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, resulting in the severe injury of a 30-year-old Spanish tourist. The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Wassim al M, reportedly expressed a desire to kill Jews.[1][2][3][4]
Since the October 7 massacre in Israel, Germany has experienced a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents.[5][6] The tensions in the Middle East have triggered a surge in hate crimes targeting Jewish communities across Europe.[7]
Prior to the stabbing at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, German authorities arrested an 18-year-old Russian national earlier that day on suspicion of planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin.[8] The suspect, reportedly of Chechen ethnicity, was believed to have connections to the Islamic State group and intended to carry out a firearms assault on the embassy.[9][10] This arrest was separate from the subsequent stabbing incident at the Holocaust Memorial with no reported connections.
Stabbing
On Friday, February 21, 2025, the assailant identified as 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Wassim al M., armed with a hunting knife, approached the victim from behind and inflicted life-threatening injuries by attempting to slit his throat.[11] The victim, a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from Bilbao, was immediately transported to a hospital, where an induced coma stabilized his condition.[12][13][14] Following the attack, the suspect fled the scene but was apprehended by authorities a few hours later, still bearing traces of blood. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a hunting knife, a Quran, a prayer rug, and a note containing Quranic verses, indicating a potential religious motivation.[15] The perpetrator had been planning the attack for several weeks, driven by a desire to "kill Jews."[16]
Perpetrator
The perpetrator has been identified as Wassim al M., a 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker. He arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and was granted asylum, subsequently residing in Leipzig.[17] Wassim al M. was born in January 2006 in Al-Shaddadi, a small town in Syria. He entered Germany on May 9, 2023, possibly via the Balkan route, and was assigned to the state of Saxony, where he lived in a refugee accommodation in Leipzig.[18] Prior to the attack, Wassim had come into contact with authorities in Saxony for minor offenses.[19]
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