At night, the Berlin police search an apartment, supported by the fire brigade and the Robert Koch Institute. The suspicion: A person could be in danger. Investigators are silent on the details.
Berlin – The Berlin police, together with forces from the fire brigade and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), searched an apartment in the Grunewald district. “There was a suspicion of endangerment of a person, possibly by explosive ordnance or warfare agents,” said a police spokeswoman on Saturday morning. The residents of the apartment building had to leave their apartments temporarily for safety reasons.
Defusers then searched the apartment. “Explosive or explosive devices were not found,” said the spokeswoman. According to the police, there is no acute danger. Forensic science and RKI employees took several samples for chemical or biological warfare agents. They should now be evaluated. It was unclear when the results would be available.
No further personal details
“This evaluation should show whether there was a risk to the person who was not in Germany at the moment or not,” said the spokeswoman. It is the resident of the apartment. She did not give details. “We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide any further information about the person.”
The state security agency responsible for politically motivated crimes in the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has taken over the investigation. According to the police, the operation lasted from around 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. The affected apartment has been closed for the time being. According to earlier information, the police investigated the suspicion that third parties could have deposited explosives in the apartment of the person concerned.
At night, the police announced on Twitter that the fire brigade, the RKI and the Bundeswehr were supporting the operation.
According to the police spokeswoman on Saturday morning, an ambulance from the Bundeswehr hospital was meant. An ambulance was on site as a backup in such situations – the operation went to an ambulance that was nearby. dpa
