A passenger spotted a burning car on Knesebeckstraße in Charlottenburg at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday and alerted the fire department.
Emergency crews extinguished the completely engulfed vehicle, which belonged to Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of the portal Nius. The Berlin police said that a political motive could not be ruled out. Consequently, the State Security division of the State Criminal Police Office took over the investigation on suspicion of arson. No injuries were reported, and the investigation continues.
Reichelt reported on the destroyed vehicle directly through the Nius portal. The former Bild-Ltg editor-in-chief said, “Es ist vollkommen klar, dass dies ein gezielter Anschlag war.”
Did You Know? Julian Reichelt officially launched the Nius portal in mid-2023 with funding from entrepreneur Frank Gotthardt.
The Berlin police confirmed the early morning incident after a witness placed an emergency call. WELT reported that law enforcement officials stated they assume the fire was the result of deliberate arson.
BILD added that the vehicle targeted was a BMW, and said that police confirmed parked vehicles rarely catch fire on their own. BILD also reported that street parking in the area remained blocked off until shortly after 3:00 a.m. while investigators worked.
WELT said that authorities initially made no statements regarding the registered owner of the vehicle, potential perpetrators, or a precise motive. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported that a police spokesperson confirmed the time of the initial emergency call as 2:07 a.m. Tagesschau.de added that according to Nius reporting, one firefighter sustained minor injuries during the extinguishing operation.
Reichelt characterized the incident as an act of intimidation directed at independent outlets. He said that the perpetrators likely scouted the vehicle in advance. BILD reported that Reichelt also claimed an accelerant was used on a tire to spread flames across the car. Tagesschau.de said that Reichelt referred to the event as an attempt to silence new free media opposing left-wing extremism.
FAZ reported that Reichelt vowed to continue reporting despite the incident, stating, “Niemals werden wir uns einschüchtern lassen.” WELT and FAZ both covered his remarks linking the incident to broader political tensions in Berlin and criticisms from other public figures.
Similar car fires and arson attacks targeted the vehicles of a B.Z. newspaper columnist several years prior. According to police records from those past incidents, perpetrators later published confessions containing explicit left-wing extremist content.
Entrepreneur Frank Gotthardt finances the online portal Nius, which Julian Reichelt launched as editor-in-chief in mid-2023.
A passerby noticed the burning vehicle on Knesebeckstraße in Charlottenburg at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday and contacted the fire department.
The State Security division of the State Criminal Police Office took over the investigation due to the possibility of a political motive behind the arson.
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