A 29-year-old man drove his car into a group of people and then into the window of a perfumery in Berlin on Wednesday morning, not far from Breitscheidplatz. A woman was killed, and a large number of people were injured. Although the specific circumstances are unknown, security circles are now anticipating a rampage. As a result, there is no reason to suspect terrorism.
Six individuals are in grave danger, according to the fire department, and three others have been gravely injured. In addition, there are an unknown number of minor injuries. One of the injured is thought to be the driver.
A 51-year-old Hesse teacher is the casualty. She was in Berlin with a tenth-grade student from a secondary school in Bad Arolsen, Hesse. Students are reportedly among the injured, according to the Tagesspiegel. According to reports, another instructor was gravely injured.
Around 10.30 a.m., the driver turned onto Kurfürstendamm in front of the Memorial Church, onto the pavement, and into the crowd. He resumed his trek on the road where Kurfürstendamm becomes Tauentzienstraße after the intersection with Rankestraße. He turned right onto the sidewalk again some 100 meters later, crossed Marburger Strasse, and crashed into the shop window, where he finally came to a halt.
The Renault Clio is shown in the shattered window of a Douglas branch opposite the Europa Center in photos taken at the scene of the accident. The big shopping center on Breitscheidplatz was partially evacuated in the afternoon. According to the police, this is merely a preventive measure in case there is something dangerous in the vehicle; the vehicle will now be thoroughly investigated.
On Tauentzienstrasse, the automobile smashed into the window of a Douglas branch.
Julius Geiler (photo credit: Julius Geiler)
In this video from midday, Tagesspiegel reporter Julius Geiler describes his first thoughts of the scene.
The driver is a 29-year-old Berlin-based German-Armenian.
The driver was detained, according to the police. He will be interrogated, and it will be determined if the incident was the result of an intentional act, a road accident, or a medical issue. Passers-by initially held him. He is 29 years old, German-Armenian, and lives in Berlin, according to the police. When the man was apprehended, he appeared befuddled. He was handcuffed and restrained by a police officer, and he begged passers-by to “please help, please help.”
Gor H. is supposed to be the man, and he lives in Charlottenburg with his older sister. He was also in the driver’s seat of his sister’s automobile. The driver was recognised by federal police at the zoo since he had no papers with him. The federal police have “Fast-ID” equipment, which record fingerprints electronically and compare them to a national database.
Amok drive is assumed by security circles.
According to eyewitnesses, the motorist appeared to have purposefully driven into the groupings of people. Earlier information that he should be 60 years old was not verified and was later shown to be a transmission error.
The current assumption in security circles is that it was a rampage. There has been no evidence of terrorism so yet. This was not confirmed by a police spokesman. At the same time, she refuted a “Bild” article that said a confession note was discovered in the automobile. This isn’t the case at all. She remained tight-lipped about the driver’s motivation.
Anti-Turkish posters were allegedly found in the murder vehicle, according to witnesses. The driver is claimed to be known to the police and has been accused of stealing, according to multiple reports.
In the Memorial Church, victims are cared for.
The fire department and police department both have big contingents on the scene, with the police moving in with 130 officers. A rescue helicopter landed on Tauentzienstrasse’s median. On nearby Breitscheidplatz, heavily armed police officers stood guard. Several victims, including those with minor injuries, were treated by the fire department’s emergency psychosocial care. Around midday, police chief Barbara Slowik received a sense of the situation.
In the City West event, several individuals were injured, and one person died.
AFP photo by Odd ANDERSEN
Witnesses were asked to provide information and media files regarding the occurrences in order to aid the inquiry. This link can be used to send them to the Berlin police’s information portal.
In a Twitter video, a witness describes the situation.
John Barrowman, a British-American actor, was present when the incident occurred. At the time of the occurrence, he was at a store. In a video he published on Twitter this morning, he remarked, “It’s really quite awful.” Many people are injured and hobbling, and a body is lying on the roadway.
According to Barrowman, the car approached Kurfürstendamm from the west, entered the sidewalk near the Memorial Church, returned to the street where it struck a pedestrian, and then returned to the sidewalk at the Tauentzienstrasse intersection. He slammed through pedestrians, drove passed a café, and collided with the Douglas branch.
The car was moving at a high pace, according to a McDonald’s employee at Breitscheidplatz, and he could not see it slowing down.
Following the terrible tragedy on Wednesday, the federal government offered its condolences. According to deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann, the cabinet was “extremely disturbed and shaken.” The injured and their families are in our thoughts and prayers.
A representative for Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) expressed condolences to individuals who had been harmed. “Above everything,” he stated, “we pray that the badly injured and injured recover.” There was a lot of pressure on the investigations and clarifications, but it was too early to discuss the backdrop.
“Deeply saddened by this tragic occurrence,” Giffey said.
Franziska Giffey (SPD), Berlin’s Governing Mayor, was “deeply moved” by the tragedy. She extended her gratitude to the emergency services for their efforts on the scene and condolences to the victims and their families. “It’s about clarifying what happened and what happened,” Giffey said, avoiding any statements about the incident’s history.
Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) of the Interior Department remarked on Twitter on Wednesday: “The situation in Charlottenburg astounded me. I’m in the situation center, keeping myself updated. My thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with all those who have been touched.”
Kirsten Bauch (Greens), the district mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, extended her sympathies to the victims’ families and wished the injured a swift recovery. “We have to do everything we can to prevent such terrible incidents in the future,” Bauch stated, despite the fact that the cause of the accident is yet unknown.
“The horrible tragedy on Tauentzien has horrified us, and our sympathies are with the deceased, injured, and their families,” said Stephan Weh, Berlin state chairman of the police union (GdP). “It’s critical that the police and fire departments execute their jobs on the scene and learn from previous failures.” They would deal with such operations on a professional level as well, but they are also humans “on whom the awful images leave their mark.” As a result, there must be a thorough follow-up for emergency services.
Breitscheidplatz was the target of a terrorist assault in 2016.
In recent years, there have been multiple occurrences in Berlin of individuals being gravely injured or killed by vehicles, whether as a result of terror or accidents. Anis Amri, an Islamist assassin, drove a truck into a Christmas market at the Memorial Church on Breitscheidplatz in December 2016. Twelve people perished and more than 70 were injured at the time. A few days later, while fleeing Italy, the Tunisian was shot and killed by police.
Invalidenstrasse Mitte, Invalidenstrasse Mitte, Invalidenstrasse Mitte, Invalidenstrasse Mitte, Invalidenstrasse Mitte, A three-year-old boy and his grandmother, as well as two adults on the sidewalk, were killed when the vehicle toppled. The German motorist was given a two-year suspended sentence in February 2022. He had been driving for a month before the tragedy, despite having epilepsy and having undergone brain surgery.
A 31-year-old Iraqi drove amok on the Berlin city motorway in August 2020, striking many automobiles and then hitting three motorcyclists, gravely injuring several persons. The accused was committed to a psychiatric facility by the Berlin district court in early 2022. The justification for the actions was based on a psychological hallucination. (using dpa)