On Monday evening, Navid B. was considered a suspect in the attack at the Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz. After his release, the Pakistani asylum seeker recalls how his arrest came.
It all looked like a quick search for success: Shortly after the attack at Breitscheidplatz with 12 dead and nearly 50 injured the police took the Pakistani Navid B.
However, the initial investigation soon created doubts whether the 23-year-old was really connected with the act. After 20 hours in police custody, he was released on Tuesday. On Thursday afternoon, B. received his mobile phone.
A Pakistani journalist Irfan Aftab reached him shortly afterwards by telephone for an interview.
Interviewer: Hello, is it Navid?
Navid B.: Yes, here is Navid. Who are you?
Interviewer: My name is Irfan. How are you, Navid? Did police let you go?
B: Yes, they have released me, and I'm fine.
Interviewer: Where are you now?
B: I do not know exactly where I am.
Interviewer: How did it happen? on Monday evening were you arrested near the Christmas market?
B: I was innocent, but they just caught me. I had an appointment at the office in the morning. It lasted longer than planned, and I was late. I wanted to meet a friend. He wanted to go for a drink, but I told him I wanted to go back to my accommodation because I wanted to sleep.
Interviewer: Were you at the time of the attack near the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz?
B: No, I was not there. The police took me to the Hansaplatz (about 1.8 kilometres away from the Breitscheidplatz). I was near a park (the zoo) and wanted to catch my subway to drive home. I had to cross a street and ran because I was approaching cars. A few policemen saw me run and stopped me. They asked me why I ran, and I told them it was because of the cars. Then came my subway, but they kept me on hold.
Interviewer: Do you know where the police brought you?
B: I do not know, but I think it was in Berlin.
Interviewer: What did the police ask you?
B: They asked me if I had committed the attack with the truck, but I told them I was innocent. I have not done anything.
Interviewer: When did the police let you go?
B: Monday night I was still in custody, the next day they let me go. Then they sent me to a hotel. Then I was taken to another refugee camp, but I do not know where it is.
Interviewer: So you did not go back to your accommodation at Tempelhof Airport?
B: No, it was somewhere else, but I think it is still in Berlin.
Interviewer: When did you come to Germany?
B: One year ago.
Interviewer: What is the status of your asylum procedure?
B: I think the authorities do not grant me asylum.
This interview originally appeared in N24 welt