Michael Jackson said he made a "terrible mistake" by holding his young son over the railing of a fourth-floor balcony at a Berlin hotel to show fans who wanted to see the child. The incident shocked the worldwide audience who later watched the scene on video. German and U.S. television news programs repeatedly broadcast footage of the reclusive pop star's brief appearance yesterday (Nov. 19) at the Hotel Adlon.

The boy had a white cloth over his head as Jackson held him with one arm around his waist over the edge of the hotel's iron balcony railing. The child, wearing a baby blue jumper, was the singer's third and youngest, Prince Michael II, according to a spokesperson for the Bambi entertainment award ceremony, which Jackson is attending in Berlin.

Last night, Jackson issued a statement saying he had gotten carried away when fans below the window asked to see the baby. "I made a terrible mistake," he said. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."