A man is believed to have damaged a window at the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin-Moabit on Friday evening with a stone. Both the police and the ministry have confirmed the incident upon request, according to the “Spiegel”.
According to the Berlin police, the 48-year-old Syrian man appeared at the ministry’s entrance guard around 9:15 pm and demanded to speak with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). He wanted to complain about the situation in Gaza, and allegedly used the term “genocide” to describe it.
After the guards at the entrance rejected his request, the man is said to have picked up a paving stone and thrown or hit it against the window. The glass was damaged, but did not shatter, according to the police. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior reported that federal police officers arrested the man and handed him over to the Berlin police, who are currently investigating whether the case falls under the jurisdiction of the state criminal police. A charge of property damage is being investigated. After his personal details were established, the suspect was released from custody.