Monday, 14 April
Knife-free zones: Berlin considers ban following deadly attack
On Saturday afternoon, two men boarded a train at the Kaiserdamm U-Bahn station and, “within seconds”, began to fight. The cause of the dispute remains unclear, as it appears the two men did not know one another. However, the situation escalated quickly. One man, aged 43, then pulled a kitchen knife from his waistband and stabbed the other man, aged 29, three times, fatally wounding him.
The victim exited the train at Sophie-Charlotte-Platz but collapsed on the platform, while the perpetrator fled on foot. He was later stopped by police officers, whom he approached with the knife still in hand. One of the officers drew his weapon and shot the man three times – in the thigh, torso, and neck. He, too, has now succumbed to his injuries.
Knife attacks are increasingly making headlines in Berlin, and Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) has suggested increasing the number of “knife-free zones” across the city, including a possible ban on carrying knives on public transport.
Since February, three permanent knife-free zones have been designated by the Senate: at Leopoldplatz, Görlitzer Park, and Kottbusser Tor.
