Berlin synagogue attacked with Molotov cocktails
Oct 18, 2023
Berlin [Germany], October 18 : A Berlin synagogue was attacked with Molotov cocktails early on Wednesday. The incident is now being investigated by German security agencies, CNN reported.
The Berlin police said on 'X' that the incident took place at around 3:45 am local time at the synagogue on Brunnenstrabe Street in Berlin's central district of Mitte.
The police said that the flaming bottles smashed on the pavement before dying out, the police said.
The Police have arrested a 30-year-old man who rode an e-scooter along the street and threw it away before running towards the synagogue. The man resisted arrest and shouted anti-Israel slogans as officers tried to apprehend him, the police added.
As per the police, Germany's state level security agency, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is investigating the incident.
The incident was condemned by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who took to X, wrote: "Attacks against Jewish institutions, violent riots on our streets - this is inhumane, disgusting and cannot be tolerated."
"Antisemitism has no place in Germany. My thanks go to the security forces, especially in this situation," he further wrote.
The Israeli embassy in Berlin also condemned the incident, calling for German authorities to address antisemitic attacks with "unwavering severity."
The German government had previously warned that it would not tolerate any antisemitic behaviour following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Policing in Germany was stepped up after videos emerged of people holding Palestinian flags appearing to celebrate in German streets after the attack by Hamas on October 7, as per CNN.
Other European countries France and the UK have also ramped up security measures in the wake of the massacre, amid fears of attacks against the Jewish community.
London's Metropolitan Police announced in a post on X its decision to increase policing patrols across the capital "in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities," while in France, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said there will be a reinforcement of security "around places of worship and Jewish establishments", CNN reported.
