Manhunt ends as Berlin Pride event attack suspect shot dead by police

Berlin [Germany], July 27 (HBTV): The suspect in the fatal vehicle-ramming attack at Berlin's Pride event was shot dead during a police operation on Sunday, Berlin Police said.

A driver rammed a crowd near Berlin's annual Christopher Street Day Pride event in Tiergarten Park on Saturday night, killing one person and injuring 17 others. Berlin Police immediately launched a manhunt.

In a post on X, the police said the suspect was located at a garden allotment in Spandau, on the western outskirts of the city, at around 6 p.m. local time.

Police opened fire after the suspect allegedly charged at officers while armed with a stabbing weapon, according to the statement.

"Around 6 p.m., the suspect in yesterday's attack in the Grosser Tiergarten was located in an allotment garden facility in #Spandau. According to current findings, he is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used by our SEK Berlin. Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene," the post read.

According to official statements previously released by Berlin Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspect was identified as 21-year-old Abdul B., who was known to law enforcement and linked to the Islamist spectrum.

The operation followed joint investigative efforts that pinpointed the suspect's possible location at a garden allotment on Ruhlebener Strasse in the Spandau district.

Authorities had earlier said one or more individuals were believed to have fled the original scene in a vehicle, and investigations into possible accomplices remain ongoing.

The incident occurred after a van drove into a crowd in Tiergarten Park shortly after 10 p.m., prompting an evacuation and a major emergency response. Mourners later gathered near the scene despite security concerns.

Following the incident, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz strongly condemned the attack, expressed support for those affected and commended emergency personnel for their rapid response, which he said likely prevented further casualties, according to DW.

Merz described the van ramming as an "abhorrent event."

"Our thoughts are with the victims of this Islamist terrorist attack," Merz told reporters, extending his sympathies to the victims and their families. "I wish those who sustained injuries a swift recovery."

The Chancellor expressed gratitude to emergency crews and law enforcement officers for "intervening as quickly as possible, which could well have prevented an even worse outcome last night."

Addressing participants of Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride events across Germany, Merz urged the public to remain resilient in the face of violent extremism, DW reported.

"Let us not be intimidated by these crimes," he declared. "They want to divide our society, they want to take the most important thing that we have: namely, our open society, our liberal society."

"We will not allow this poison of terrorism ... to spread in our society," Merz added. "We will stand together in this country."

The Chancellor concluded by promising that the German government would act decisively to bring everyone involved in the attack to justice "as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner thanked Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and federal law enforcement agencies for their coordination with local authorities during the investigation, according to DW.

Reflecting on the celebrations before the attack, Wegner said, "Yesterday Berlin had celebrated a great day. Berlin was colourful, Berlin showed how diverse and open this city is."

Wegner said the attack struck at the core of the city's identity, describing it as an assault on "our way of coexisting" and on "our liberal democracy, openness and freedom."

"It was an attack on all of us," Wegner said, announcing that flags at Berlin City Hall would fly at half-mast in tribute to the victims.

Addressing the security operation surrounding the Pride festivities, Wegner said communication between agencies worked effectively. He also commended CSD organisers for handling the crisis "professionally" and "without panic."

(ANI)