Attacks in Neukölln: trial begins on August 29

Created: 06/15/2022, 21:20

A relief above the entrance to the Moabit criminal court shows the blindfolded goddess Justitia. © Carsten Koall/dpa/Symbolbild

For several years, the police have assumed that two specific men in particular are behind right-wing extremist arson attacks and daubing swastikas in Neukölln.

For a long time, however, there was little evidence that was sufficient for an indictment.

That has since changed.

Berlin - After years of tough investigations into the right-wing extremist series of arson attacks and threats in Berlin-Neukölln, two suspected perpetrators come to court.

The trial against the two 35 and 39-year-old men from the right-wing extremist scene is scheduled to begin on August 29 in the Tiergarten district court, a court spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The public prosecutor's office accuses them, among other things, of setting fire to the cars of two men who were politically active against right-wing extremism on February 1, 2018.

The broadcaster RBB and the “Berliner Morgenpost” had previously reported.

The cars belonged to left-wing politician Ferat Kocak and a bookseller.

Other perpetrators may also have been involved in the arson attacks.

In addition, the two men, together with three other defendants, are said to have distributed posters and stickers with right-wing extremist slogans on various occasions, especially in 2017.

One of the two men is also accused of fraud.

He is said to have made false statements in connection with receiving unemployment benefit II.

The court is initially planning a total of ten trial days up to November 28th.

Both defendants are at large.

In the case of the younger man, an arrest warrant was lifted, and the 39-year-old was spared conditional custody.

Starting this Thursday, a parliamentary investigative committee of the Berlin House of Representatives will also deal with the right-wing extremist arson attacks, hate speech and threats in Neukölln.

Above all, the committee wants to clarify why the police and public prosecutor's office did not make any progress with their investigations at the time and whether there was or is a larger right-wing extremist network in Neukölln in addition to the two alleged perpetrators.

The left-wing politician Kocak, who was elected MP in 2021, is also a deputy member of the committee.

Despite numerous arson attacks and hate speech against leftists on walls and in doorways, the search for the perpetrators in Neukölln was not easy because there were no traces.

According to the report by RBB and "Berliner Morgenpost", a chain of circumstantial evidence should now lead to a conviction of the men.

It is about chat histories, tapped conversations and GPS data from a car that is said to have been used to spy on the homes of possible victims.

Statements made by one of the suspects in prison to a fellow prisoner could also play an important role.

dpa