New Year's Eve mayhem. Berlin police face firecracker assaults, thwart Molotov cocktail plot
It was a difficult New Year's Eve in Berlin. Police in Germany reported that approximately 500 individuals were hurling pyrotechnic materials at each other near the Neptune Fountain in the country's capital. Subsequently, a portion of these individuals began assaulting the police with fireworks.
1:21 PM EST, January 1, 2024
About 500 individuals were engaging in pyrotechnic exchange at the Neptune Fountain. Once the group dispersed and it was confirmed that there were no more fireworks, our rescue services were bombarded with pyrotechnic materials by a group of around 200 people who were in the passages to the town hall. Arrests are still being carried out - according to a night report from the police.
As per German media, no fewer than 300 arrests have been made. Recordings of the New Year's Eve incidents in Berlin have been circulated on social media.
The German police also reported an incident of a police vehicle being shot at. "The car was hit with a spherical bomb, which caused damage to the extent that it had to be taken out of service. There were no officers inside as they were conducting operations in the vicinity," reported the officers.
In the Neukölln district, police discovered a group of individuals filling bottles with gasoline and affixing cloth pieces as fuses. They were additionally found with barbecue lighters. Eleven Molotov cocktails were seized, thwarting an attempt. Berlin police reported nine arrests related to this incident.
Several fatal incidents involving the lighting of firecrackers were reported across Germany. In Bavaria, an 18-year-old passed away from severe head injuries sustained from lighting a firecracker in a plastic pipe.
