A Syrian migrant who broke into an elderly woman’s apartment and sexually assaulted a 78-year-old woman was immediately arrested and then released, only to rape a 23-year-old woman the next day, according to police. The man is now on trial for the crimes.

The 25-year-old migrant, Ayman Al-K, from Syria, was arrested after the elderly woman was able to fight him off until help could arrive, according to Berliner Zeitung. He is said to have entered the elderly woman’s apartment on the first floor, but when the woman saw him, she screamed for help. The man allegedly placed her in a headlock and covered her nose and mouth. Neighbors rushed in and intervened, and the man was arrested close to the scene.

However, the Berlin public prosecutor refused to hold him in custody, releasing him nearly immediately. The public prosecutor claimed that the “identification had not been sufficiently secured,” according to the justification provided after the man was arrested for rape the following day.

Ayman Al-K had been sent back to his asylum accommodation at Ostpreußendamm, where he raped a 23-year-old woman, who was unsuccessful at defending herself, and bit her hard on the neck. He was then arrested and charged.

The man is facing 10 days of trial for bodily harm, breaking and entering, sexual assault, and rape. His verdict will be issued Aug. 12.

The shocking case highlights the tremendous amount of rape and sexual assault perpetrated by Germany’s foreign population, and the German authorities’ unwillingness to provide even the most basic protections for the country’s women. According to new data released by the Federal Interior Ministry, violent crime has reached record highs, with foreigners responsible for 41 percent of all crimes.

Gang rapes have reached a record high in the country. The Berlin police released statistics just this week showing that there were 111 gang rapes in 2023 and that 54 percent of all such crimes were perpetrated by foreigners.