Berlin Holocaust memorial stabbing
Berlin Holocaust memorial
Location	Berlin, Germany
Date	21 February 2025
Target	Jews
Attack type	Stabbing
Weapons	Knife
Injured	Spanish tourist
Perpetrator	Wassim al M.
Motive	Antisemitism

On February 21, 2025, a knife attack occurred at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, resulting in the severe injury of a 30-year-old Spanish tourist. The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Wassim al M, reportedly expressed a desire to kill Jews.^[1][2][3][4]

Since the October 7 massacre in Israel, Germany has experienced a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents.^[5][6][7] The tensions in the Middle east have triggered a surge in hate crimes targeting Jewish community across Europe^[8]

Prior to the stabbing at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, German authorities arrested an 18-year-old Russian national earlier that day on suspicion of planning an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin.^[9] The suspect, reportedly of Chechen ethnicity, was believed to have connections to the Islamic State group and intended to carry out a firearms assault on the embassy.^[10][11] This arrest was separate from the subsequent stabbing incident at the Holocaust Memorial with no reported connections.

On Friday, February 21, 2025, the assailant identified as 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Wassim al M., armed with a hunting knife, approached the victim from behind and inflicted life-threatening injuries by attempting to slit his throat. The victim, a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from Bilbao, was immediately transported to a hospital, where Induced coma stabilized his condition.^[12][13][14] Following the attack, the suspect fled the scene but was apprehended by authorities a few hours later, still bearing traces of blood. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a hunting knife, a Quran, a prayer rug, and a note containing Quranic verses, indicating a potential religious motivation.^[15] The perpetrator had been planning the attack for several weeks, driven by a desire to "kill Jews."^[16]

The perpetrator has been identified as Wassim al M., a 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker. He arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and was granted asylum, subsequently residing in Leipzig.^[17] Wassim al M. was born in January 2006 in Al-Shaddadi, a small town in Syria. He entered Germany on May 9, 2023, possibly via the Balkan route, and was assigned to the state of Saxony, where he lived in a refugee accommodation in Leipzig.^[18] Prior to the attack, Wassim had come into contact with authorities in Saxony for minor offenses.^[19]

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• Islamic antisemitism in Europe
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