German police arrested a suspect on Friday evening in connection with the stabbing at Berlin's Holocaust memorial that left a man seriously injured just two days before a significant event.
The Berlin police department provided no information on the suspect's identity or potential motive.
"Our officers have apprehended a suspect near the crime scene," city police announced on X. "Investigations are ongoing."
Footage from the scene showed emergency vehicles and heavily armed police vehicles lining one side of the memorial site, a vast expanse of grey concrete pillars where the assault occurred. The memorial stands opposite the U.S. Embassy.
The victim "sustained severe injuries, requiring emergency transportation by the fire department to the hospital," stated police spokesperson Florian Nath.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. (1700 GMT). Nath confirmed that the victim's life was not at risk, as he underwent preparations for surgery. Forensic evidence was being gathered at the location, Nath added.
The memorial, a site of deep reverence in the German capital, honors the 6 million Jews massacred by the Nazis during World War Two, a somber chapter in human history and a key focus of German historical reckoning.
An eyewitness recounting the event to local broadcaster RBB24 mentioned that the two men seemed to approach each other before the sudden stabbing of the victim. Police stated that specialized fire brigade personnel were offering trauma support to witnesses.
The vicinity surrounding the memorial, a 1.9 hectare (4.7 acres) area in the city center, was cordoned off.
During the ongoing national election campaign, which predicts a far-right party's potential second-place finish for the first time in nine decades, a series of prominent assaults have marred the events.
Among these incidents was an attack where two individuals, including a toddler, were killed, attributed to an Afghan immigrant. This event triggered a divisive discourse on immigration and calls from leading conservative candidates to enforce border closures.
In December, a Saudi national residing in Germany for an extended period, whose online activities suggested sympathy with the far-right, plowed a car into a Christmas market, resulting in six fatalities, including a child, and injuring numerous others.
Earlier on Friday, an 18-year-old of Chechen descent was reportedly detained on suspicion of planning an assault on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin, as reported by Bild newspaper.