Testimony of Spanish victim in Berlin Holocaust Memorial knife attack

A Spanish traveller who sustained critical injuries during a stabbing at Berlins Holocaust Memorial earlier this year appeared before judges on Wednesday. He flew from Spain to testify at the Berlin Higher Regional Court, where a 19-year-old defendant faces charges of attempted murder and terrorism linked to the February 21 assault.

The 31-year-old witness stated that he never clearly saw the assailant, who shouted a phrase referencing Allah before seizing him from behind and stabbing him. He had been touring the memorial, dedicated to the six million Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, together with friends when the attack occurred.

Following the stabbing, the tourist required urgent medical intervention due to the severity of his injuries.Police arrested the suspect, a Syrian refugee, near the memorial with blood on his hands. Investigators believe he travelled from Saxony with the intention of carrying out an ideologically motivated act tied to radical Islamist and anti-Jewish beliefs, allegedly linked to the Islamic State group.

Prosecutors have charged the accused with attempted murder, serious bodily harm and attempting to join a foreign terrorist organization. The proceedings opened on November 20 and are scheduled to conclude toward the end of January.

Author: Logan Reeves