Was it an attack? The Berlin State Security is investigating a 30-year-old after a series of accidents on the A100 - there is initial information about the motive and his background.
- On August 19, there were several accidents on the federal highway 100 in Berlin
- It was caused by a 30-year-old Iraqi who deliberately caused the accidents.
- Was it really an Islamist attack or is the perpetrator mentally ill? Investigators are following up several leads.
Berlin - Several accidents on the Berlin city motorway on Tuesday evening (August 19) were probably politically motivated. "According to current knowledge, it was an Islamist-motivated attack," said a spokesman on Wednesday. An accidental accident seems unlikely to the investigators. The perpetrator is said to be a 30-year-old Iraqi. There were no certainties about the background of the crime on Wednesday afternoon - but first indications.
Autobahn stop in Berlin? The perpetrator was known to the police - but apparently not listed as an Islamist threat
Statements by the driver suggested a religiously motivated act , said the spokesman for the Berlin attorney general, Martin Steltner, on Wednesday the AFP news agency . The police are also investigating whether the arrested person is mentally disturbed, as a spokesman said - there are corresponding indications.
According to a report by the Tagesspiegel , the man on the A100 city motorway called out, among other things, "Allahu Akbar". He also declared: "Nobody comes closer, otherwise you will die". The newspaper also reports online that the man was known to the police, but has not yet been listed as an Islamist threat and has not been under surveillance by the security authorities.
Berlin: Perpetrators posted information on Facebook - the word "martyr" was also used
Before the crime, the alleged driver published information about the planned crime on the Internet. On his Facebook page , he posted photos of the car with which he later deliberately rammed several vehicles, as well as religious sayings that also included the word “martyr”. In the photos you can see the Berlin license plate of the black car, which hours
later was badly damaged on the autobahn.
However, there was initially no evidence that the man was a member of a terrorist organization. This was announced by the
Attorney General and the police on Wednesday afternoon. The dpa learned from security circles that the
Iraqi had been in contact with an Islamist known to be a threat. The Tagesspiegel reported that the perpetrator was assigned to the spectrum of the terrorist militia Islamic State .
Berlin: Accidents on the autobahn - investigators suspect an Islamist-motivated attack by the perpetrator
According to the police, the man had an alleged ammunition box with him. When he was stopped, he claimed that there was a "dangerous object" in the box, a police spokeswoman said that night. Forensic technicians x-rayed the metal box. It was said to have been suitable for storing ammunition.
A driver was involved in several accidents on the # A100 at Kreuz # Schöneberg. After his car stopped, he claimed that there was a dangerous object in it. The man was arrested. Our specialists from #LKA are on duty.
^ tsm
The box was then shot open with a water gun, said the spokeswoman. However, the police did not find anything suspicious in it, only tools. Traces of explosives were not found in the car. The police did not provide any details about the procedure and the statements made by the man , but they announced further information for the course of the day.
Islamist attack in Berlin? State protection of the Kripo investigates against perpetrators
The state security of the criminal police, who is responsible for politically motivated acts, is now investigating the man who caused the autobahn to be closed for hours due to the accidents . The clashes were deliberately caused, it was said by the investigators. "Due to the circumstances, we do not assume a random accident." A rammed motorcyclist was seriously injured.
Attorney General Margarete Koppers will inform the Legal Committee about the findings so far in the afternoon, said a spokesman for the judiciary. According to the public prosecutor and the police, the
30-year-old was to be brought before a judge to issue an arrest warrant for attempted murder. An investigation group "motorcycle" was founded. ( dpa / AFP / fn )