Customers of the chain in Wrangelstrasse found the gas canister connected to a cable at around 9am, police have stated. The restaurant and the surrounding area were then quickly evacuated as explosives experts were sent in to examine the device.
Two hours later, at 11 am the police gave the all clear, saying via Twitter that specialists had disarmed the device. Fire services also ventilated the restaurant “due to the high concentration of gas there.”
Der Gegenstand wurde von Kriminaltechnikern gesichert. Die Ermittlungen hat der Staatsschutz aufgenommen.
Die Wrangelstraße ist wieder frei.— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) June 29, 2017
Initial investigations have led police to suspect the canister was armed with “an ignition device.”
According to Spiegel, state security have taken over the investigation, indicating police suspect a political motive to the crime.
An electric cable had been connected to the canister and then reeled out into the parking lot behind the restaurant, according to Bild.
“A signal would have been enough to blow the whole restaurant into the air. We assume this was an attempt at an attack,” a police source told the tabloid.
Please whitelist us to continue reading.