Frankfurt (Oder): police investigate ten suspects aged 13 to 15 over filmed assault on a 14-year-old outside a school

Police in the German state of Brandenburg are investigating ten children and teenagers aged 13 to 15 over an attack on a 14-year-old boy outside a secondary school in Frankfurt (Oder) on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 14, according to reports by the German news agency dpa, published by Tagesspiegel and Volksstimme, and by Berliner Zeitung. They are suspected of dangerous bodily harm and robbery.

What happened

The attack took place in front of the Heinrich-von-Kleist-Oberschule on Görlitzer Straße, Berliner Zeitung reports, citing the Märkische Oderzeitung for the location. A video of it spread on social media. According to dpa, it shows about ten young people first pressing the boy, then punching and kicking him, including in the head, and continuing after he fell. Police consider the video authentic and have secured it as evidence. They asked the public not to share it, warning that spreading violent content can be a criminal offence, t-online reported.

The boy reported the attack at a police station the same day. A police spokesperson said he had facial injuries but did not say how serious they were, according to dpa. The city says he and his family are receiving psychological support.

The suspects

Police have identified ten suspects aged 13 to 15. Berliner Zeitung and dpa report that they hold German, Polish, Russian or Syrian citizenship; the reports give the nationalities for the group as a whole and do not say how many suspects hold each one. Police say the role each suspect played is still under investigation and have not given details of the robbery allegation, Berliner Zeitung reports. Under German law, children under 14 cannot be prosecuted.

The suspects do not attend the school where the attack took place, the city and the school's head said. On Thursday police carried out an operation at another secondary school, the Ulrich-von-Hutten-Oberschule, questioning pupils and taking personal details; police confirmed to the Märkische Oderzeitung that it was linked to the attack, Berliner Zeitung reports. According to Volksstimme, some suspects were picked up during lessons. Police also visited suspects' homes and spoke with their parents, Berliner Zeitung reported on October 17.

Political reaction

Frankfurt (Oder)'s mayor, Axel Strasser, said he was deeply shocked and angry and described the level of organised youth violence as unprecedented in the city. With Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann, he has called security talks with police, prosecutors, the foreigners' authority, schools and school social workers; the first meeting is set for October 27 at the town hall.

Brandenburg's social minister, René Wilke of the SPD, threatened residence-law consequences. He wrote that anyone who causes insecurity in Germany cannot invoke insecurity in their country of origin, and said he was ready to revoke protection status or end residence, dpa reported. He added that juvenile court rulings could lead to deportations once suspects are no longer minors. Redmann said the suspects' origin should be named clearly but that it explains and excuses nothing, according to dpa, and Berliner Zeitung reported that he is examining deportations. A city spokesperson called it an isolated but very drastic case.

Brandenburg's state parliament recently debated youth violence after a series of incidents in Potsdam, where police set up an investigation group, t-online and dpa report.

What is not established

None of the reports read gives the suspects' residence or protection status, says how many of them are foreign nationals, or describes a motive. Alethman News found no police-based report describing any of the suspects as Chechen; the reports read give only the four citizenships above.