Deutsche Welle reporter Adonis Alkhaled is still waiting for the outcome of the police investigation into his violent assault by men who he says appeared to be bodyguards at a concert in Düsseldorf, western Germany, in October 2024.
The incident attracted significant media coverage at the time, as well as condemnation from the state media minister, a spokesperson for then Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany’s main journalists’ union, the DJV, and Reporters Without Borders.
Although Alkhaled has video footage of the incident and a year has passed, police and state prosecutors are still carrying out an investigation into unknown men suspected of malicious injury and defamation.
Düsseldorf police declined to comment, as the investigation is ongoing. State prosecutors have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Alkhaled, a Syrian-German TikTok team lead at DW’s Arabic service, was assaulted after interviewing the Syrian hip-hop star Al Shami by men who, he says, appeared to be part of the singer’s security team.
Al Shami, a major star and TV personality in the Arab-speaking world, has a large following in Germany and was about to take to the stage at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Düsseldorf.
“It was super scary,” Alkhaled remembered. “I felt that they were professional boxers, the way they were beating me. It wasn’t like they were beating for the first time. I’m so glad I got out of it, because they could also have done more.”
DW reporter beaten after interview in Germany
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Al Shami’s management ‘deeply regret’ incident
Alkhaled said one of the attackers — who he says appeared to be a bodyguard — started an argument with him before the interview began.
Once Al Shami had sat down for what was scheduled to be a short video interview, Alkhaled said, the same man interrupted the interview, kicked the camera and began verbally abusing him.
The attacker was then ushered away by the singer, who, Alkhaled believes, was friendly with the man.
According to Alkhaled, once the interview was over, the attacker approached him in the hallway with three others.
They then grabbed the reporter by the neck and shoved and punched him toward the door, throwing homophobic insults at him in German along the way.
Once they had pushed Alkhaled out into the car park, one of the men stayed outside and headbutted him “at least three times” and punched and kicked several times more, the DW reporter said.
His phone, which he used to try to document the incident, was also smashed. Later, in the emergency room, Alkhaled was treated for several facial injuries and a suspected concussion.
A spokesperson for Al Shami’s management team based in Beirut, Lebanon, insisted that “Al Shami had absolutely no involvement in the incident in question.”
“Throughout the interview, the atmosphere remained calm, and Al Shami even took steps to defuse any tension that arose,” the spokesperson told DW by email.
“Both he and his management team deeply regret that such an unfortunate event took place and remain fully committed to safeguarding the dignity and safety of all journalists. We also reaffirm our strong stance against any form of violence, threats, or disrespect directed toward the media.”
Alkhaled used his phone in attempt to document the incident
Ongoing investigation
Through his own investigations on various social media platforms, Alkhaled believes he has identified the man who began the confrontation and had to be calmed down by the singer: a professional heavyweight boxer who, according to Alkhaled, appears in videos at other Al Shami concerts working as a security guard.
Alkhaled says he has also seen the man in social media videos at other events staged by the same organizers behind the Düsseldorf concert: Luxus Event, a Bonn-based company that specializes in bringing stars from the Arab-world to Germany.
But it remains unclear exactly who the alleged attackers worked for, or what their job was backstage.
Luxus Event referred DW to the company’s lawyer, who has not yet responded to DW’s emails and phone calls.
State prosecutors have invited Alkhaled to check through photos of potential suspects they have on record, and will evaluate the evidence Alkhaled has provided.
But Alkhaled feels that the police have been too slow to follow up on the information he has collected.
“Even after a year, we are still not aware of any concrete findings from the investigation,” his lawyer Emina Malovčić said.
“We will continue to support the authorities in clarifying the incident. In view of the fact that a year has now passed without any concrete results from the investigation, we hope and expect that the investigation will be continued with the necessary vigor and consistency.”
Edited by: Rina Goldenberg
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