Police raid far-left squat in Berlin

Police in Berlin raided a far-left squat in Rigaer Strasse, in the east of the city, as they searched for evidence in an assault investigation.

The police searched four properties in Berlin's Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods.

A police spokesman said 560 officers were deployed in the operation, which launched at 6 a.m. on Thursday.

Berlin's police tweeted that during the search, evidence relating to the assault case, which involved the infliction of dangerous bodily harm, was recovered. Four suspects were found and identified.

The area around the building at Rigaer Strasse 94 was cordoned off. The search lasted until 7:30 a.m. and ran without incident, a police spokesman said.

According to the office of the public prosecutor, officers were searching for seven suspects in connection with an assault on a late-night kiosk last May. The seven suspects are accused of having injured the shop clerk and damaged the premises. 

The building at Rigaer Strasse 94 is home to a left-wing housing project, which had already been at the center of clashes between members of the Berlin squatter scene and the police in the past.

Rigaer Strasse 94 first became a squat in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when a group of activists occupied the empty building. Over the years, residents were able to secure lease agreements through negotiations with the city, but after clashes with the owners and a series of legal proceedings, tensions with the police have continued to run high.