Special Commission "Ferrum": 29 Suspects in Custody Following Gun Violence in Berlin

According to data from the Berlin police, the number of registered cases involving shots fired from handguns in the capital has risen sharply. This year, 46 cases have already been recorded in which live ammunition from pistols or revolvers was fired – compared to 37 cases in the entire previous year of 2025. Last year, the police registered 1,119 incidents related to firearms, including 515 cases where shots were fired. According to statistics, the number of firearm-related offenses – threats or shots fired – was therefore 68 percent higher than in 2024.

Increase in Firearms Offenses

According to investigators, the special commission is working closely with the specialized unit of the public prosecutor's office. The cut-off date was May 27. Since then, the number of cases has continued to increase, and several dozen suspects have reportedly been arrested. In addition to the 29 defendants in pre-trial detention, charges have already been filed in eight other cases, it was stated.

On Tuesday, a trial also began at the Berlin Regional Court against four men aged 21 to 26. They are accused of, among other things, dangerous bodily harm, attempted aggravated extortion, and threats. Another criminal trial that began on Tuesday at the Berlin Regional Court concerns protection money extortion and warning shots.

Largest Operation with 570 Officers

In mid-May, the police carried out their largest concerted operation to date against criminal structures, according to their own statements: approximately 570 officers were deployed, and nine men aged 23 to 63 were arrested. They are accused of, among other things, forming a criminal association and protection money extortion. During the searches, law enforcement officers seized drugs, cash, a live firearm, firearm parts, blank-firing pistols, two vehicles, data carriers, and mobile phones.

Last weekend, a joint operation with a focus on Neukölln and Kreuzberg took place, during which around 200 people were checked and five suspects were arrested. On Wednesday, a 38-year-old man was also arrested in Schöneberg, who is alleged to have shot two brothers in Kreuzberg in March. At the end of May, four suspects were apprehended after shots were fired in the Graefekiez area. Investigators are also seeking witnesses for shots fired on May 25 in Kreuzberg near Urbanstraße.

Impact in the Neighborhood: Letters to Tenants

The increase in violence is also reflected in the public's sense of security. In letters to tenants, property owners in the affected neighborhoods are reacting to the incidents. A landlord of a building on Hermannstraße in Neukölln, near where shots had been fired, wrote to the residents: "We take the situation around the building very seriously." They are continuously monitoring the changing dynamics in the neighborhood and are therefore in increased contact with the police and the security service. He advised the tenants to remain vigilant, keep building entrances locked, and not to grant access to strangers.

With the establishment of "Ferrum" and "Telum," the police and public prosecutor's office are responding to a development that has long concerned observers. The special commission's investigations are planned to continue as long as the increase in firearms offenses persists. As the public prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday, the number of cases will continue to rise, as tips from the public regularly provide new leads for investigations.

The proceedings against the defendants in pre-trial detention will be concentrated at the Berlin Regional Court, according to a court spokesperson. It remained unclear when the first verdicts could be expected. The public prosecutor's office announced that further indictments would be prepared in the coming weeks.