New Year's Eve riot in Medingoven Police raid the homes of eight suspects

Bonn · Following the riot on New Year’s Eve in Bonn-Medinghoven, police raided the home of eight young male suspects. The group set fire to trash containers and car tires and attacked the arriving fire department and police officers.

 Police raided the homes of eight suspects in New Year's Eve riot.

Police raided the homes of eight suspects in New Year's Eve riot.

Foto: Polizei Bonn

After the New Year's Eve riot in the Bonn district of Medinghoven, police searched the homes of eight suspects on Friday morning. The young men were taken to police headquarters for questioning, where the State Security Service is investigating on suspicion of aggravated disturbance of the peace, assault on police officers, attempted dangerous bodily harm, arson and damage to property.

The men, aged between 16 and 19, are said to be among the 40 or so hooded men who went on the rampage on Europaring on New Year's Eve. The group set fire to trash containers and car tires and attacked the arriving fire department and police officers with fireworks and stones. The officers initially retreated and had to wait for reinforcements from a police squad to extinguish the fire. The burning trash cans damaged a parked car, an e-scooter and the road surface. No one was injured.

According to police, the eight suspects identified so far all live in Medinghoven and neighboring Duisdorf. The case is likely to further fuel the debate that German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has initiated with her comments on the riots in Berlin and other German cities. The SPD politician called for the state to "clearly show its limits" with "violent integration resisters." The eight suspects in Bonn come from migrant families, as police spokesman Michael Beyer reported in response to a GA inquiry. Five of the young men are German citizens with a migrant background, each holding another citizenship as well, he said. Three were non-German. All eight were born in Bonn.

According to the police, they are suspected of having played a leading role in planning and carrying out the attacks on the emergency services in Medinghoven. They made plans to meet up via a chat group. The police questioning began on Friday. A 19-year-old suspect had already been arrested on New Year's Eve close to the crime scene. After the riot, investigators asked residents if there were any witnesses among them and for any video footage.

Meanwhile, Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) and Federal Interior Minister Faeser announced consequences following the attacks on New Year's Eve. In view of the violence, Giffey believes a rethinking of the judiciary could be necessary. It is important to punish the crimes quickly and consistently, especially in the case of young multiple offenders, she said on Friday. Faeser also called for addressing the origin of those responsible for the riots, some of them violent, on New Year's Eve. It was not right to remain silent about the fact that these were mostly young people with a migration background, Faeser said.

The head of the German Civil Servants' Association, Ulrich Silberbach, says: "Whoever attacks police officers attacks the state." In a GA interview, he sharply criticizes politicians, saying that they must first stop with their showcase speeches. "We don't need more studies and situation reports. That is weak action that misses the point. Our colleagues are out there literally standing in the fire." Referring to the background of the perpetrators, Silberbach says, "If you look at the New Year's Eve pictures from Berlin, there is no doubt at all that these are overwhelmingly young men with a migration background. That's not a blanket condemnation either, if you name it so clearly. Migrant neighbors and business owners in Neukölln are just as appalled and call a spade a spade."

Original text: voa, bau, dpa, kna / Translation: ck

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