A clan shooting broke out in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood on Saturday, resulting in at least four people injured with gun shot wounds on Boxing Day, according to Berlin authorities. When investigators arrived on scene, several seriously injured people were lying on the ground and a man had jumped into the nearby Landwehr Canal with a bullet in his leg. Police dragged him from the canal, and along with the other victims, was transported to the hospital. Authorities say they and the other two aged 39 and 42, According to the Bild newspaper, the shooting took place at around 4:00 a.m. not far from the Social Democrats (SPD) headquarters near the Möckernbrücke metro station, which is located directly on the Landwehr Canal. The police searched the bushes on the bank of the canal with flashlights and blocked the surrounding areas.
Heavily armed police officers appeared to be looking for other people involved in the shooting as a police helicopter scanned the area overhead. On Monday, Berlin’s Senator for the Interior, Andreas Geisel (SPD), told the RBB Abendschau that the shooting may have erupted over a game of poker, but the investigation is still moving forward. One of the shooting victims was 39-year-old Veysel K, which according to Tagesspiegel , is one of the brothers of Arab clan boss Arafat Abou-Chaker. Another prominent clan member, Abbas Ch, was also involved. Veysel K. is known for his role as an enforcer for criminal clan members. He was once a close companion of clan boss Arafat who is also facing trial. Vaysel K. is also connected to well-known rapper Bushido. Veysel K. had only been sentenced to two years and nine months’ imprisonment in September, but the district court ordered him to continue to serve on remand, which was why he was free at the time of the shooting. Clan violence has rocked Berlin in recent months Berlin has experienced repeated violence between criminal Arab family clans as of late. Not long ago, there was an attack by around a dozen men on an apartment connected with clans in the Kreuzberg district after a 29-year-old was hit by bullets.
After the attack, a few days later, violent attacks broke out between clan members belonging to large Arab families in Berlin involved in the 29-year-old victim from the other case. Police warned of “continued attacks” expected following the escalation in violence. Police stopped one of the vehicles involved in the attacks and found baseball bats, knives, and pepper spray inside. Police suspect a struggle among feuding organized crime groups In February, another suspeted clan shooting occurred at Berlin Tempodrom in Möckernstrasse, which is close to the shooting that occurred on Boxing Day. One person died and four were injured in that incident. An arrest warrant for manslaughter was issued against a 48-year-old man who is believed to be involved in the incident. Investigators say they assume a conflict between clans over territory was behind the shooting. In October, Berlin Chief Public Prosecutor Ralph Knispel said that clans are a major reason behind Berlin’s high crime rate , and warned that the public’s trust in the state has declined as a result.
