Berlin LGBTQ Pride attack: Suspect shot dead by police in encounter | Today’s news
A suspected Islamist extremist accused of driving a minivan into a crowd near a large LGBTQ Pride rally in Berlin was shot and killed by police on Sunday, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by police as Abdul B, 21, was located in a garden complex in Berlin’s Spandau district, hours after the vehicle attack near the city’s Tiergarten park.
Berlin police said the suspect approached the officers while holding a bladed weapon and urged them to open fire.
“Around 18:00, the suspect from yesterday’s attack in the Tiergarten found himself in the garden complex in Spandau,” the police said in a post on X.
“According to initial findings, he ran towards the police when he was armed with a blade, the police subsequently opened fire. Despite the immediate resuscitation efforts of the Berlin fire department, he died on the spot.”
A spokesman for German federal prosecutors confirmed that one person had been shot and pronounced dead.
Minivan attack near Pride event
The attack happened around 10pm on Saturday (July 25) in the Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate, close to one of Europe’s biggest LGBTQ celebrations, Christopher Street Day.
Authorities said the suspect drove a minivan into pedestrians, killing one person and injuring 29 others.
Police launched a manhunt following the attack and released a photograph of the suspect, appealing to the public for information on his whereabouts.
The suspect had a prior criminal record, authorities say
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the suspect had previously come to the attention of authorities due to numerous crimes and alleged links to Islamist circles.
“He attracted attention in the past with a high number of crimes, radicalization, membership in the Islamist scene,” Dobrindt said.
Officials said Abdul B was a German citizen of Lebanese descent, born in Germany in 2005.
Investigators are investigating the motive for the attack.
The debate about security and immigration is intensifying
The incident is the latest in a series of vehicle attacks targeting crowds in Germany, renewing the debate over security, radicalization and immigration policy.
The attacks contributed to growing support for Germany’s far-right political movements, which have pushed for tighter immigration controls and tighter security measures.
Chancellor Merz calls for the defense of liberal values
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on citizens to defend the country’s democratic and liberal values during a memorial service at St Mary’s Church in Berlin.
“We will defend the freedom, openness and liberal spirit of our lives and our society with everything we can do,” Merz said.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack, including the suspect’s alleged radicalization and possible links to extremist networks.
The LGBTQ community mourns the victims
Hundreds of people gathered at the memorial near the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday, leaving flowers, candles, rainbow flags and messages of support.
The inscription on the memorial read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.
Ashley Jump, a 26-year-old UK resident who traveled to Berlin for the Pride celebrations, returned to the site to pay her respects.
“We will never be erased, we will never be gone,” Jump said. “As long as humanity exists, we have existed. And as long as humanity exists, we will exist. We will not be removed.”
Andre Lehmann, a senior official at Germany’s LGBTQ association LSVD, described the attack as a major blow to the community.
“We’re just amazed at what happened,” he said. “This suspicious attack strikes at the heart of the queer community.”
Germany’s history of extremist attacks
The Berlin attack has renewed concerns about Islamist extremism and public safety in Germany.
Berlin has previously seen major extremist attacks, including a 2016 Christmas market attack in which a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker drove a hijacked truck into a crowd, killing 13 and injuring dozens.
In another incident last year, a Syrian man stabbed and seriously injured a Spanish tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial. He was later convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Read also | Berlin Pride attack suspect was Islamic State supporter, German media say
