Relatives of Mohammed R., who was killed on May 1 in Berlin, have begun looking for the perpetrator themselves, raising fresh fears of a clan war.
The 25-year-old Mohammed R. identified as Mohammad Rabieh by German newspaper Bild, was stabbed to death in Volkspark Hasenheide during the folk festival on May 1. Since his killing, a photo showing the alleged perpetrator is circulating in relevant clan circles, and members of the clan are reportedly scouting out the suspected residential area of the perpetrator in Kreuzberg.
[pp id=8021]
During the May Day Festival, there was a dispute between Mohammed R.’s clan and another clan in front of a lottery booth. Mohammed R. is said to have pulled a gun during the argument. What happened after that is unclear, despite the large number of visitors to the folk festival. So far, only five people have responded to a police call for witnesses, but only gave general information. According to the police, it is certain that Mohammed R. was killed with multiple stab wounds.
Brother was also killed
In a sign of the high-profile nature of the murder, Rabieh has been identified as the younger brother of another clan member, 36-year-old Nidal R., killed in September 2018 at Tempelhofer Feld in an alleged can feud. The shooter in that case has never ben apprehended.
[pp id=7298]
“We still cannot say anything about possible perpetrators and motives,” said the spokeswoman for the Berlin prosecutor’s office, Mona Lorenz. She did not want to confirm a dispute between hostile clans. “We do not participate in speculation about clan disputes as a background.” Mohammed R.’s older brother, Nidal R., was already the victim of alleged family quarrels three years ago.
Nidal R. is a previously convicted serial offender who was hit by several bullets and died a little later in the hospital. The act may have been an act of revenge after Nidal R. allegedly threatened and hit another criminal at a wedding party, prompting his clan to threaten retaliation.
A moment of silence
A moment of silence was broadcast from government authorities in the neighborhood of Neukölln, according to Berliner Zeitung.
“Today at 3:00 p.m., the May Days fesitival will observe a minute’s silence in memory of the person killed last night. #Neukoelln”
City councilor Falko Liecke, of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said the minute of silence for a clan member with a gun is inappropriate. “I don’t think that’s a good thing in terms of the number of people killed,” he says. “No normal person goes to a folk festival with a gun.”
Suspect is on the loose
The suspect in the stabbing death of Mohammed R. and his accomplices escaped apprehension. The stolen getaway vehicle was later found burned out. It is unclear whether there is a connection with the shooting death of the Nidal R. Mohammed R.’s lawyer, Kristina Beulich, was concerned. “It’s bad for the mother that she has lost her second son by force,” she told Berliner Zeitung. Of the two brothers, he was the “more reflective and considerate.”
