Atallah Younes, a Palestinian social media influencer who fired a firework rocket into a Berlin apartment during New Year’s Eve riots across the German capital, has been handed a six-month suspended sentence by the Berlin District Court — a ruling that has drawn sharp criticism from the city’s police union representatives.
The 23-year-old, born in the West Bank and holding a Jordanian passport, was convicted of property damage after the court ruled out more serious charges, including aggravated arson and attempted dangerous bodily harm.
He was apprehended by federal police at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Jan. 4 while allegedly attempting to flee the country.
Judges determined that Younes did not intend to set the house on fire or harm anyone, as he had aimed the firework, expecting it to shoot into the sky. The arrest warrant against him, in force since early January, has now been lifted.
Prosecutors had pushed for a tougher sentence of two years on probation, arguing Younes had recklessly endangered lives when he launched the firework through an open bedroom window in Berlin’s Neukölln district. The fire ignited a carpet but, fortunately, caused no injuries.
Younes had the act filmed and posted the video on social media, where it quickly went viral, amassing millions of views.
🔥🇩🇪WAR ZONE BERLIN 🇩🇪🔥
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 1, 2025
Germany's capital city descends into mayhem during New Year's Eve.
🧨 36 apartments uninhabitable due to massively destructive "ball" bomb explosions
🚨 400 arrests
👮 670 investigations opened
Berlin is governed by a CDU mayor. pic.twitter.com/hkLw1HCTvs
Ahead of his arrest, Younes defended his actions in an interview with Bild, claiming ignorance of the potential consequences. “I didn’t know it was so dangerous,” he said. “I went to sleep, and the next day I saw that the video had 10 million views.”
His defense lawyer, Axel Czapp, argued for acquittal, stressing that his client had been in custody since January and insisting Younes had not anticipated any serious consequences. Czapp maintained that Younes could not have imagined he was risking “death and ruin.”
However, the verdict has been met with backlash from law enforcement representatives. Thorsten Schleheider, deputy head of the Berlin Police Union, expressed frustration over the perceived leniency of the court.
“If you walk out of a courtroom with a light suspended sentence for such madness, no one should be surprised that young men organize something like this for a few clicks on social media and do not understand at all that they have to be held accountable for it,” Schleheider wrote on X.
He described the judgment as “a hard blow for our colleagues and all the people out there who are peacefully celebrating the New Year,” emphasizing the strain such stunts put on both police and public safety.