Syrian detained with knife declaring 'Allahu Akbar' near Berlin synagogue
Police release man after arrest.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALA kippah demonstration in front of a synagogue in Berlin(photo credit: REUTERS)
Two guards protecting a Berlin synagogue in the district of Mitte detained a Syrian man who apparently sought to enter the building with a knife on Friday.According to a report in the Bild newspaper, the Damascus-born man said “Allahu akhbar”’ or “God is Great” – a phrase frequently uttered before or during radical Islamist terrorist attacks.The guards drew their firearms and police were notified. A police spokeswoman said the guards kept their weapons holstered but the man ignored them. The security guards said “Knife away and stop immediately.”The Bild reported that the Syrian man did not drop the knife and repeated sentences in Arabic. The guards remained at distance with their firearms out until police appeared and sprayed an irritant gas in the face of the man.The authorities arrested the man and no additional weapons were found on him or in his apartment. There were no injuries.The police released the man from custody.
