(JTA) — An Albanian man was arrested in connection with the murder of an Israeli in Berlin.
The suspect was taken into custody late Friday in the Czech Republic near the German border. Germany will seek to extradite him, The Associated Press reported.
The victim, who was identified as Yossi Damari days after his body was found on April 5 amid the rubble of construction being done at a church, reportedly checked into a hostel the day before he was murdered.
Damari, 22, reportedly had visited Israel’s embassy in Berlin in the days prior to his murder requesting financial help in order to return to Israel. He also reportedly had asked the Jewish community for food and a place to sleep.
The Chabad rabbi in Berlin, Yehuda Teichtal, told the NRG news website that Damari was supposed to have attended a seder at the local Chabad house but never showed up.
Damari’s body, discovered with his passport, was so badly beaten that it was difficult to make a positive identification.
Berlin Prosecutor Martin Steltner told the German media that neither robbery nor nationalism appear to be motives in the killing.
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