By Ole Kroning and Timo Beurich
Screams, punches, a drawn knife and pepper spray! Five men attacked a restaurant owner and his family in Berlin-Neukölln on Wednesday. According to the victims, it was extortion for protection money.
Dozens of officers had moved out to the “Alaqami” restaurant on Sonnenallee around 10:30 p.m. A video of residents shows several men throwing objects at the bar and yelling threats in Arabic across the street. When police sirens can be heard, the attackers flee on foot through Tellstrasse.
Large police presence in Tellstrasse in Neukölln Photo: Spreepicture
According to a police spokeswoman, the men got into a fight with employees of the restaurant: first verbally, then physically and with various objects. The attacked defended themselves with pepper spray.
The traces of the dispute ran through the neighborhood over a length of 120 meters. At first there was talk of family disputes, but obviously this is about organized crime!
Two members of the family attacked (34, 37) were injured. One of them is Ahmad M. (37), he is in the hospital with severe head injuries. Ahmad is the brother of the restaurant owner and uncle of Mohammad M. (19). Mohammad’s father was also struck down by one of the attackers.
Mohammad M. does not want to remain silent about the true background. He told the BZ: “The attackers were Lebanese and Syrians who first appeared in the restaurant about 4 weeks ago and made funny suggestions to us. Last time they ate a long meal and then got up without paying.”
Shortly thereafter, his father was approached by a stranger that such a problem could be settled for a fee. “And it wasn’t just about 1,000 euros a month,” says Mohammad.
In 2015, father and son fled Syria to escape the civil war and reprisals by the Assad regime. The father had to give up his popular restaurant in Damascus. In 2019, Mohammad’s mother and three siblings followed. The family opened their restaurant on Sonnenallee. It’s going well, is frequented by Arabs, Germans and guests from all backgrounds.
“We are here in Germany to build our own lives and not start a fight,” says Mohammad M. The family hopes that the Berlin police will do something about the threat: “We don’t want to have to deal with it ourselves.”
One of the men filmed in the video pulled out a knife and is said to have threatened Mohammad: “If we come back, until you’re dead!”
The police were able to apprehend two of the attackers (21, 27) on the street after the attack. Both eyes were still watering from the pepper spray. The 21-year-old was taken to a hospital with a police escort. Both are being investigated for dangerous bodily harm.
Three other suspects managed to escape, taking a bag containing personal papers from the M. family with them. She now fears that the gangsters will soon be outside her apartment door…