Berlin police are searching for 21-year-old Abdul B., who allegedly drove a van into a crowd near the Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride parade on Saturday night. The attack killed one person and injured 29 others, some seriously.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated at the scene that the attack has an Islamist terrorist motive. He claimed the suspect had been previously convicted and sentenced to one year and ten months in prison, suspended on probation, though prosecutors had objected to the suspension.

Dobrindt further alleged that after the ramming, the suspect attacked passersby with a cutting weapon, reportedly a machete, causing additional severe injuries. The suspect was purportedly known to authorities, had undergone radicalization, and belonged to the Islamist scene. He was born in Germany in 2005, holds German citizenship, and has Lebanese family background.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the attack as “an attack on all of us” and ordered city hall flags to be flown at half-mast. He praised CSD organizers for responding professionally and without panic. Police had secured the parade route, preventing the suspect from reaching the main event, but the attack occurred 400 meters away.

A memorial service was held at Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate, where people laid flowers, candles, and rainbow flags. Police continue their investigation and have deployed large forces to search for the suspect, who remains at large. The attack has been condemned by German officials as an assault on liberal democracy and freedom.

Source: www.dw.com