Organized crime in Berlin faces escalating scrutiny following a drive-by shooting in the city and political debates over the future of law enforcement. According to reporting by the newspaper Welt, a perpetrator fired several shots from a moving vehicle at 2:00 AM, striking a victim in the leg and narrowly missing an artery before the wounded individual was carried by his brother to a police station just meters away.
Clan Violence Sparks Street Confrontations
The shooting stemmed from a mass brawl outside the “Lambo” bar in the nearby Wedding district, as reported by Welt. Several dozen members of rival Turkish clans clashed at the scene, leaving at least one person hospitalized with serious stab wounds. Witnesses reported a long bloody trail and large pools of blood on the pavement.
Stephan Weh warned against the heavy arming of criminals following the incident. “The criminal scene is armed to the teeth today,” Weh stated, adding that foreign gangs view Berlin as a breeding ground to secure spheres of influence and launch new businesses using weapons. The union official called for increased staffing, better technical equipment, and stricter laws.
Political Debate Over Police Funding and Security
The violent incident occurred shortly after Berlin police officers expressed alarm over the presence of Issa Remm, the head of Berlin’s most powerful criminal gang, at a victory celebration hosted by the far-left party Die Linke. The Remmo clan is recognized as one of Germany’s most notorious Arab-origin criminal structures, boasting several hundred members linked to major crimes including murders, extortion, drug trafficking, the theft of a 100-kilogram gold coin from the Bode Museum, the heist of historical jewelry and diamonds valued at over 113 million euros from Dresden’s Royal Palace, and a bank robbery in the Mariendorf district of Berlin.
Die Linke, which won recent regional elections, advocates for a shift in security policy. The party proposes halting the ongoing and expensive arming of police to redistribute those funds toward social work. The party also wants to replace or supplement police work with social work whenever possible, dissolve the civil intelligence agency (Office for the Protection of the Constitution) and replace it with a Documentation Center for Human Rights, and treats the term "clan criminality" as problematic, according to lead candidate and potential mayor Elif Eralp.
Frank Teichert, head of the Berlin regional branch of the German Police Union, responded to these proposals by stating that the party’s security concepts generate major concerns. A police officer stationed in Neukölln—where Die Linke maintains strong and radical support—remarked that people fail to understand the severity of the situation and that Berliners do not know what awaits them.
Turkish clan brawl and Remmo criminal group linked to heists in Germany
What triggered the drive-by shooting in Berlin?
According to Welt, the shooting was triggered by a large brawl involving dozens of members of rival Turkish clans outside the “Lambo” bar in the Wedding district.
Which criminal group is linked to high-profile heists in Germany?
The Remmo clan, an Arab-origin criminal structure with several hundred members, has been tied by authorities to major crimes including the theft of a massive gold coin from the Bode Museum and historical jewels from Dresden’s Royal Palace.
What changes are political figures proposing for Berlin’s police force?
Following recent elections, the party Die Linke has proposed halting police armament expenditures to fund social work initiatives, replacing standard police work with social alternatives where possible, and replacing the civil intelligence agency with a human rights center.
How have police unions reacted to these security proposals?
Frank Teichert, head of the Berlin regional branch of the German Police Union, stated that the security concepts proposed by Die Linke raise significant concerns regarding the city’s future safety.