Five dead in Germany’s New Year chaos, dozens of officers injured, hundreds arrested
Five people have been killed in chaotic New Year celebrations in Germany, as authorities also condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured.
Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places, but the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency services workers.
In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks during New Year’s Eve, leading to 400 arrests, city officials said.
Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.
Five people were killed and hundreds injured after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: "The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos.
"However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary."
She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that all perpetrators will be "prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity".
Burnt down fireworks are seen in front of a shop in Berlin’s Weissensee district on January 1. Picture: Getty
Police said the attacker had residency in Sweden.
It comes after Berlin police said they detained a Syrian man on Tuesday who attacked and injured two people in the city’s Charlottenburg neighbourhood, further jolting Germany days after a deadly Christmas market attack.
"Initial findings indicate that the suspect may have signs of mental illness and that there is not indication for a terrorist motivation," police spokeswoman Jane Berndt said, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
A police statement called it an "attempted murder".
It said the man attacked two men in a supermarket and on a footpath in front of a nearby hotel shortly before noon, allegedly stabbing them with a knife that he had stolen from the supermarket.
Both were taken to a hospital, and police said one was released after outpatient treatment.
Police officers put out the fire in the streets after the fireworks for the New Year’s celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi). Picture: Alamy
Berlin media outlets earlier reported that the man appeared to be randomly attacking. They reported that several passers-by pounced on the attacker and overpowered him until police arrived.
Charlottenburg is a normally quiet district of the German capital.
Germany is still reeling from the deadly Christmas market attack this month in which five people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the eastern city of Magdeburg. A Saudi doctor was arrested on murder charges.
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