Alleged attacker at Berlin Pride event shot dead by German police
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- German police shot dead Abdul B, the suspect in a van attack that killed one and injured 29 during Berlin's Pride event.
- The suspect reportedly advanced on officers with a stabbing weapon in a Spandau allotment garden, leading to the fatal shooting.
- Authorities are investigating potential accomplices and noted the suspect had a history of radicalization and criminal offenses.
German authorities have shot dead the suspect alleged to have driven a minivan into a crowd at Berlin's Pride event, an attack that killed one person and injured 29. Berlin police confirmed Sunday evening that the suspect, identified as Abdul B, was killed during an operation in a Spandau allotment garden.
According to a police post on X, the suspect allegedly rushed toward emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, resulting in police firearms being used. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts, he died at the scene. The national manhunt for Abdul B had been announced earlier in the day, with German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stating the suspect had connections to Islamic extremism.
[The suspect] is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used by our SEK Berlin.
"Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist terrorist attack," Dobrindt told reporters, describing how the van drove onto a pavement and struck pedestrians. The attack occurred Saturday night near the Brandenburg Gate during Christopher Street Day, one of Europe's largest LGBTQ pride celebrations.
Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene.
Dobrindt added that the suspected perpetrator had a history of criminal offenses, radicalization, and membership in the Islamist scene. He was a German citizen of Lebanese background, born in 2005. Security sources revealed to Reuters that the suspect had been released from juvenile detention just two months prior and was known to domestic intelligence as potentially dangerous.
After hitting pedestrians, the alleged attacker also injured some with a bladed weapon, possibly a machete, according to Dobrindt. While three injured were initially in life-threatening condition, the fire service reported overnight that their lives were no longer in danger. It remains unclear if the perpetrator acted alone, as police indicated more than one person might have exited the van. Local broadcaster RBB reported that an Iranian passenger was arrested.
Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist terrorist attack.
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.