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Berlin-Neukölln: In 2018 the left-wing politician Ferat Kocak's car was set on fire (archive photo)
Photo: Ferat Kocak / Die Linke Berlin / DPA
A police investigation unit, which was supposed to clear up a series of alleged right-wing extremist arson attacks in the Berlin district of Neukölln, was understaffed for years.
According to SPIEGEL information, this emerges from the final report of the "Focus" special commission, which was set up to deal with the complex.
The staffing is "to be viewed critically in retrospect", according to the paper.
One reason for this was the attack on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin in December 2016 with twelve dead.
After that, Islamist terrorism was given "top priority" by the State Criminal Police Office.
It was only in 2019 that the fight against right-wing extremism was declared a focus.
The investigators count the Neukölln series 72 crimes from 2013 to 2019, many of them arson attacks on cars.
Men and women from the left were affected, including the local politician Ferat Kocak (Die Linke).
Three right-wing extremists are suspected, but their crimes have not yet been proven beyond doubt.
You are at large.
The Berlin Senator for the Interior Andreas Geisel (SPD) now wants to set up a commission with external experts to deal with possible failures.
The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation into the series of attacks at the beginning of August.
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