German soldier assaulted in Berlin in possible hate crime Berlin police say a 25-year-old soldier with Turkish roots was assaulted in the capital by two men saying he didn't have the right to wear a German military uniform

BERLIN -- Berlin police say a 25-year-old soldier with Turkish roots was assaulted in the capital by two men saying he didn't have the right to wear a German military uniform.

Police spokesman Martin Halweg said the soldier, whose rank is the equivalent of a private first class, was walking in the Neukoelln district Monday morning when two men punched and kicked him from behind, saying "only Germans are permitted to wear the uniform."

He says the soldier has both Turkish and German citizenships and has a Turkish last name, which was withheld for privacy reasons, that was displayed on his uniform. He was treated in a hospital for a leg injury.

The suspects fled the scene and details about them are being withheld as police investigate.