Berlin Defendant Admits Role in Six Dating-App Attacks
An 18-year-old on trial in Berlin has admitted through his lawyer that he participated in six incidents allegedly arranged through a dating platform. Prosecutors say men were lured into meetings at home, then threatened and beaten by groups demanding cash, bank cards and PINs.
An 18-year-old is on trial at the Berlin Regional Court over a series of seven attacks allegedly arranged through a dating platform. WELT, reporting material from dpa, says his lawyer told the court that the defendant admits participating in six of the incidents. Prosecutors allege that men were invited to meetings in their own homes between May 9 and June 5, 2026. Several alleged accomplices then entered the apartments.
The indictment says victims were threatened with death, beaten and sometimes threatened with knives while the group demanded cash, bank cards, PINs and other property. One witness said three people entered after he opened the door for the person he had arranged to meet. He told the court that he was hit after giving them a false bank PIN. Prosecutors put the alleged haul at about 1,600 euros in cash plus phones and other goods worth roughly 8,000 euros. The defendant has been in custody since June 5.
The alleged method used the privacy of a victim’s home as an advantage. A first meeting in a staffed public place, with a trusted person told where it is happening, can reduce that exposure and keep a new match away from financial documents and other valuables. The defense admission concerns participation in six incidents. It does not by itself establish every allegation in the indictment, the defendant’s responsibility for each act or the guilt of any alleged accomplice. The trial is continuing, with further hearings scheduled through October 14.