According to the Berlin police, on Thursday afternoon a man in the Wilhelmstadt district was allegedly subjected to homophobic insults and threatened with a knife. Based on initial findings, around 5:00 p.m., the 38-year-old victim was approached at Südpark at the corner of Heerstraße and Jaczostraße by an unknown man, also 38 years old, who asked whether he was homosexual. After the victim confirmed it, the assailant is said to have drawn a knife from his waistband and verbally threatened to injure him with the blade. The threatened man ran away and alerted the police.
Responding officers detained the suspect near the scene. The alleged weapon was found on him and seized. The suspect was taken into police custody to verify his identity. During this process, it turned out there was an outstanding warrant for the 38-year-old. The warrant was cleared after he posted bail.
After the police proceedings concluded, the man was released. The ongoing investigations are being led by the State Protection Division of the State Criminal Police Office. This is standard practice in cases of suspected anti-queer hate crimes.
There have been recurring reports from Berlin of anti-LGBTQ+ assaults, because the state police actively publicize hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, making these incidents reported to the public comparatively frequently. The police and the prosecutors in the capital have dedicated contacts for queer people.
