A social media influencer in Berlin posted a video that shows himself launching a firework at an apartment building, and shows the rocket flying through a window and exploding inside a flat.
The video, evidently recorded in the Berlin district of Neukölln, was met with outrage amid broader debate in Berlin and across Germany about injuries, deaths and property damage from New Year's Eve fireworks.
Authorities in Berlin are investigating the incident on suspicion of attempted aggravated arson, a police spokesman told dpa.
Nobody was injured, and the residents of the flat were able to quickly extinguish the ensuing fire after the rocket went off, the spokesman said.
The video can no longer be seen on the Instagram account of the influencer, who has more than 310,000 followers. But copies of the video were spread widely on other social media platforms, with many users expressing anger and condemnation.
The influencer has since published a post in which he apologized to those affected: "What happened yesterday was a mistake and we have apologised to the property owner."
