Robin Faßbender, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Bonn, could not say as of late Monday evening whether the questioning had taken place. He emphasized that the public prosecutor's office would not make any statements about the victim's testimony for the time being because of the investigation.

As reported, two other men, 16 and 19 years old, were also seriously injured during the dispute and were also admitted to hospital. According to police reports on Sunday, the 20-year-old was stabbed by a 16-year-old male. The 16-year-old has since been arrested and, at the request of the Bonn public prosecutor's office, brought before a magistrate. The judge issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of attempted manslaughter. The juvenile was taken to a correctional facility.

Two more suspects, aged 17 and 20, were released from police custody. According to the police, the two suspects are still under investigation. The GA learned from sources familiar with the investigation that the participants in the dispute were from Bonn, with a migration background.

Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz and its immediate surroundings are repeatedly mentioned in police reports as locations where violent conflicts occur, as a glance at the GA archives shows. Some examples: Most recently, a 57-year-old homeless person had spat at, pushed and kicked a 71-year-old passer-by and her companions. Before that, a man and a woman got into a violent argument in front of a fast food restaurant. A short time later, the woman hit the man at Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz with her car, injuring him. In July, two strangers threatened a 23-year-old man with a knife in this area. Last year, a 37-year-old was stabbed in front of a fast-food restaurant there. On one evening, unidentified persons shot specifically at the crowded terrace of a Shisha bar on Oxfordstrasse. A 23-year-old girl was hit by a bullet in her leg. In the summer of 2016, the GA reported a mass brawl in front of a bar at Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz.

As police spokesman Frank Piontek confirmed in response to a GA inquiry, police have been keeping a close eye on Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz for many years "as one of the most frequented places in Bonn in the evening and at night". There are locales such as Shisha bars and amusement arcades, and Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz is a major traffic hub, making it a popular meeting place for people and groups of all kinds for years, if not decades, as Piontek emphasized. Asked whether the police are considering video surveillance because of the high incidence rate, Piontek said Bonn police intend to acquire two video systems for the monitoring of so-called high risk areas.

However, where the equipment would be installed would still have to be examined carefully. Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz could well be a location. At present, Piontek is unable to give an exact date. That would depend on when the systems could be purchased. "Then I assume that we will also determine in the near future where the cameras will be installed.” He could give no further details at this time.

Original text: Lisa inhoffen

Translation: ck