German police detain influencer over NYE firework incident
January 4, 2025
A social media influencer who was filmed shooting a firework into an apartment in Berlin on New Year's Eve was taken into custody by German police on Saturday afternoon.
The 23-year-old suspect, whose name is known to DW*, was detained at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on suspicion of attempted arson, attempted grievous bodily harm, and property damage.
The video recorded in Berlin's Neukölln district sparked anger online amid a larger discussion in Germany about the injuries and damage caused by New Year's Eve fireworks.
At least five people were killed and many were injured in fireworks-related incidents on New Year's Eve.
Influencer apologized on social media and in person
The video is no longer available on the man's Instagram account, which has over 310,000 followers.
In subsequent videos posted on his Instagram and TikTok accounts, he said what happened "was a mistake."
He also posted a video on TikTok that purportedly shows him apologizing to the owner of the apartment.
Nobody was injured in the incident, and the residents of the apartment were able to quickly extinguish the ensuing fire after the rocket went off, police said.
Before being taken into custody, the suspect expressed anger and puzzlement with the investigation into the incident.
In one of the videos, he said it was due to racism in Germany and that he was planning to fly back to his home country.
Berlin police said in a statement that the suspect would be brought before a judge to issue an arrest warrant on Sunday.
lo/sms (dpa, DW Sources)
*Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.