Federal Court of Justice overturns conviction of rocket-firing offender from Berlin-Neukölln
The Federal Court of Justice has overturned the conviction against Atallah Younes. The case must be retried.
Federal Court of Justice quashes suspended sentence in Berlin New Year's firework rocket case
The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) overturned the conviction against Atallah Younes on Wednesday. In April 2025, the Berlin Regional Court had sentenced the 25-year-old Palestinian to a suspended sentence of six months for property damage. Due to a legal error by the Regional Court, the case must now be retried, according to BILD.
Younes was visiting the capital on New Year's Eve 2024. In the early evening of 31 December 2024, he ignited a New Year's firework rocket in Berlin-Neukölln and aimed it at a residential building. The rocket pierced a window and exploded in the bedroom of a married couple. The couple were in the adjacent room at the time and remained unharmed. Furniture and fittings were damaged.
Following the incident, Younes published a video of the rocket launch accompanied by music on Instagram. More than six million people viewed the video before it was deleted.
After the incident, he initially fled, but returned the following day to apologise to the residents. He also recorded this encounter in a video. On 4 January 2025, he intended to travel to his homeland in the West Bank. He was arrested at Berlin-Brandenburg airport and remanded in custody.
Younes was originally charged with property damage as well as attempted serious arson, attempted dangerous bodily harm and causing an explosion. The Regional Court did not find it proven that he intended to injure people and convicted him solely of property damage with a suspended sentence. The arrest warrant was lifted; Younes left the courtroom a free man and travelled out of Germany shortly afterwards.
The public prosecutor's office filed a revision appeal with the BGH. The BGH has now granted the revision, overturned the conviction and referred the case back to Berlin.
Source: BILD