Around three months after the New Year’s Eve riots in Berlin, the public prosecutor’s office closed six cases and sent them to court. A spokeswoman said on Tuesday that four charges had been filed. Penal orders were requested in two cases, so that punishment would take place without a trial. The accused between the ages of 16 and 48 are accused of criminal offenses such as dangerous bodily harm, physical assault, resistance to law enforcement officers and violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act. The RBB had previously reported.
As the public prosecutor’s office further announced, 17 preliminary investigations have been discontinued so far. Mostly because no suspects could be identified. Or also because those allegedly involved in the crime have not yet reached the age of criminal responsibility, i.e. are still under 14 years old.
Cases are processed at the public prosecutor’s office by a department that focuses on violent crimes in the context of major sporting events (“hooliganism”). A total of 49 procedures are now available there, said the spokeswoman for the authorities.
On the night of New Year’s Day, there were violent attacks on police officers and firefighters throughout Germany. The capital was particularly affected. According to the Berlin police, there were 128 criminal charges. A spokeswoman said the authority was still investigating 73 cases. So far, 47 suspected attackers have been identified, all but one male. 20 alleged participants are minors, 16 are 18 to 25 years old.
A total of around 145 people were arrested by the police on New Year’s Eve in Berlin for various crimes. But that referred to all forms of crime and the entire city area and not just attacks on the police. This number was sometimes misleadingly communicated by the police or incorrectly assigned in the debate.
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