| 2022 Berlin car attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Date | 8 June 2022 |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | +30 |
On 8 June 2022, a person drove a car onto the sidewalk at the corner ofKurfürstendamm and Rankestraße across from theKaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church inCharlottenburg, Berlin, Germany, killing one person and injuring 17 people.[1] The suspect was arrested at the scene.[2][3]
At around 10:30 local time, a person in aRenault Clio drove onto the sidewalk at the end of theKurfürstendamm on the corner of Rankestraße in Berlin running into a group of pedestrians. The driver then continued across the intersection ontoTauentzienstraße and finally crashed into the window of aDouglas cosmetics store one block further on the corner of Marburger Straße. The driver was detained by passersby before being arrested by the police.[4][1]
Seventeen people were injured, including 14 school children. One person, a schoolteacher, died.[5][6][1]
The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old man holding dual German and Armenian citizenship.[4] Posters relating toTurkey were found in the car, which was initially reported as a note byBild.[7] According to Berlin's Interior SenatorIris Spranger (SPD), the man gained German citizenship in 2015. He was listed in police investigations into assault, trespassing, andinsult. However, he was not known to be politically active or extremist, nor had he attracted attention for any anti-constitutional actions. No confession letter was found in the car. Spranger said on 9 June that, based on the current status, she would rate the event as a rampage by a mentally ill person.[8]
By 13 June, eight persons were still in hospital care. The police say over 30 persons had been injured. A 10th grade class from Bad Arolsen inHesse was especially affected; one teacher was killed and one seriously injured as well. The driver was being held and guarded in a psychiatric institution due to his mental illness. Medication for his illness was found in his apartment. Public prosecution is charging him with one count of murder and 17 counts ofattempted murder.[9]
The incident happened just across from theKaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which had been the site of aterroristattack in December 2016.[10]
Officials said an investigation was ongoing and denied a report by Germany's Bild newspaper the driver had left a letter of confession in the car. Instead, investigators had found posters about Turkey, which has troubled relations with Armenia.