German government condemns New Year's Eve violence after hundreds of arrests

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly with fireworks.

Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places. But the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency officials.

In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks during New Year's Eve, leading to 400 arrests, city officials said. Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.

Five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.

Explosions of very strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin also caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured numerous people, some of them seriously. According to the city's fire department, powerful detonations severely damaged numerous house facades and broke many windows.

Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, dpa reported.

“The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

"However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”

She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that all perpetrators will be "prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity.”

Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate during New Year's celebrations shortly after midnight in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers put out the fire in the streets after the fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after the fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers put out the fire in the streets after the fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Police officers stand guard in the streets after fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the United States, an administration official said Wednesday.

The quarantine and treatment center being set up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will be designed for Ebola patients who need to get out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, said the official who requested anonymity to share the administration’s plans. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.

It wasn’t immediately clear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan.

The official said the facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola, a rare but severe disease that is often fatal in people. But they said people may be transported elsewhere for more advanced care as appropriate.

Health authorities in Congo have been struggling to contain the outbreak that the World Health Organization has said is outpacing them, after the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola was confirmed weeks late as tests were carried out for a more common type.

The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed and that it is looking into over 3,000 possible contacts.

Challenges include the threat of armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.

Workers load World Health Organization (WHO) emergency supplies onto a United Nations plane in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, headed for Congo to combat the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)