Berlin supermarket hostage-taking ends after 11 hours, prosecutor seeks detention for suspect

The hostage situation

On Friday evening shortly after 10:00 p.m., a 29-year-old man threatened a female cashier with a knife at a Rewe supermarket on Hildburghauser Strasse in Berlin-Marienfelde and took her hostage. The store was about to close; a 22-year-old minijobber who was present said he saw the man pull out a large, glinting knife and then fled with another employee to call the police. The suspect barricaded himself inside with the woman for the entire night.

Police operation and rescue

Negotiations failed to convince the man to surrender, and the situation grew increasingly critical over the many hours. At 9:20 a.m. on Saturday, special operations units (SEK) stormed the supermarket. Officers used a taser to incapacitate the suspect; no firearms were discharged. The hostage was freed and taken to hospital along with the perpetrator.

The perpetrator has been overpowered and the hostage freed.

Florian Nath, police spokesman, said the woman had "probably been through a martyrdom" but remained nearly uninjured. The suspect suffered minor injuries during the taser deployment. Police cordoned off the area extensively; at one point, officers propped a ladder against the building to gain a view inside the market. There was never any danger to residents, according to the police.

Suspect background and demands

Initially, the prosecutor's office identified the suspect as a Turkish national, but later corrected the record to a German citizen. The man is known to police from prior contacts. There was no prior relationship between the hostage-taker and the victim. During the ordeal, he made various demands, described by Nath as impulsive and "in a range that is difficult to comprehend". The police spokesman noted the demands did not reflect a meticulous plan.

We are glad that we were able to proceed professionally and purposefully against the suspect here, because taking action at this point was absolutely necessary.

The motive remains unclear. Authorities stated that the suspect had no discernible plan, ruling out a premeditated targeting of the employee.

Aftermath and legal proceedings

Both the hostage and the suspect were transported to hospital after the incident. The woman was released after an examination; the man was later taken into police custody. On Sunday, the Berlin public prosecutor's office applied for an arrest warrant on charges of extortionate kidnapping. The investigating judge was scheduled to rule on the warrant that same day. Police continued gathering evidence at the scene and interviewing potential witnesses, with the prosecutor's office taking over the investigation.

We are dismayed by the events in one of our stores in Berlin.

A Rewe spokesman added that the company's sympathy goes to the affected employees and customers, but declined to give further details about the cashier out of consideration for those involved.