Police carried out their operation in Berlin’s western suburb of Spandau – Image: Christian Mang/REUTERS
Berlin/Germany: Police said the suspect was shot dead in an operation, after the incident was classified as an “Islamist terrorist” attack. One person was killed and 29 others were injured when an attacker rammed a van into a crowd in Tiergarten Park, not far from one of Europe’s biggest annual LGBTQ+ celebrations, the Christopher Street Day Parade..
What you need to know
- Suspect shot dead in police operation, Berlin authorities say
- Interior minister Dobrindt says Pride ramming being treated as ‘Islamist terrorist attack’
- Merz urges CSD supporters ‘not to be intimidated’
- One person was killed, 29 others injured in the Saturday attack
Flag at the German Bundestag was ordered to be lowered to half mast – Image: Fabian Sommer/dpa/picture alliance
No further threat after Berlin Pride attack suspect killed, German minister says
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says authorities see no indication of an ongoing threat after the suspected Berlin Pride attacker was shot dead.
Speaking to Germany’s public broadcaster ARD, Dobrindt said “additional measures” were underway but added, “we do not believe there is any further danger.”
Earlier, a police spokesman at the scene where the suspect was shot dead said authorities were “not currently looking for others.”
However, Dobrindt said investigators continue to examine whether others may have been involved.
Dobrindt said authorities have identified another person, but evidence has not substantiated any connection so far. The investigation remains ongoing.
He noted that typically such attacks are carried out by lone perpetrators.
Suspect in attack during Berlin Pride shot dead in police operation — Berlin authorities
Berlin’s Senate Department for Interior Affairs confirmed that the fugitive suspect in a Saturday van ramming during Berlin Pride was shot dead in a police operation on Sunday.
The department functions as the Interior Ministry for the city-state of Berlin.
Berlin police also confirmed the operation, saying that they had localized the suspect at a garden allotment in Spandau on the western outskirts of the city around 6 p.m. local time (1600 UTC).
Berlin police shot at the suspect after he charged at officers while armed with a stabbing weapon, according to the statement.
He was then subject to resuscitation efforts by firefighters but died of his wounds at the scene.
People gathered at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate for a demonstration in support of LGBTQ+ rights after a car ramming hit a crowd at Berlin Pride – Image: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance
Van ramming suspect tried to join ‘Islamic State’ group — prosecutors
Judicial authorities confirmed earlier media reports that the suspect in the Saturday van ramming in Berlin had made multiple failed attempts to leave Germany and join the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group.
The suspect had initially attempted to travel to Mauritania through Turkey, but ultimately traveled from Turkey to Lebanon in an attempt to make his way to Syria to join IS, the public prosecutor general’s office of the city-state of Berlin said.
According to the statement, he then made contact with multiple individuals in Lebanon that he believed were members of IS.
The suspect was sentenced to three months in prison by a Lebanese military court for “inciting religious and confessional conflict,” among other things. He returned to Germany in November 2025 after the end of his prison term and was again arrested at Berlin International Airport.
The suspect then spent months in pre-trial detention in Germany.
Attack fuels security debate across German political spectrum
The attack on Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) event has triggered strong reactions across Germany’s political spectrum, with leaders condemning the violence while offering sharply different assessments of its causes and implications.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the incident as an assault on the country’s fundamental values.
“This act is an attack on our open society, on our way of life and on our ability to live together,” he said.
Steinmeier added he was, “shaken and outraged.”
People lay down flowers at the Brandenburg Gate to pay their respects to the victims of the Saturday ramming attack – Image: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo/picture alliance
How has the conservative CDU reacted?
The incident has also reignited debate over Germany’s security policies and counterterrorism measures. Senior politicians from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) called for tougher measures in response.
Günter Krings, the party’s spokesperson on interior affairs, argued that harsher penalties should be introduced if investigators determine the attack was motivated by Islamist extremism. Speaking to the Rheinische Post he also suggested that citizenship rules could be tightened.
Fellow CDU lawmaker Alexander Throm urged lawmakers to move quickly on pending security legislation, which includes provisions for expanded digital investigative powers and retention of IP addresses for criminal investigations.
Reactions from center-left SPD, far-right AFD
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), focused on defending the values represented by Pride events.
“Christopher Street Day stands for the right of every person to live freely,” he said. “We will defend that.”
Meanwhile, politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) used the incident to criticize the government’s handling of security issues.
AfD lawmaker Martin Hess described it as “a complete failure of the government’s security policies,” arguing that authorities had failed to prevent violence despite extensive security preparations.
AfD lawmaker Thorsten Weiss claimed that Berlin faces a serious problem with “Islamist extremism” and called for an emergency committee meeting to investigate how a person he described as a known extremist was allegedly able to carry out the attack.
Bundestag flags lowered after deadly Pride attack
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has ordered flags at the German Parliament to be flown at half-staff following the attack at the Christopher Street Day (CSD) event in Berlin.
In a statement, Klöckner said she was “shaken to the core” by the attack and expressed her sympathy for the victims, their families and all those who witnessed the incident.
She wished the injured a full and speedy recovery and thanked police, fire and rescue services, as well as the many volunteers and helpers, for their swift response.
Klöckner described the attack as an assault not only on individuals but also on the values they represent.
“Anyone who attacks people standing up for freedom, equal rights and diversity is attacking the foundations of our democratic community and trampling on human dignity,” she said. She stressed that Germany’s constitution protects the right to live freely and without fear and to stand up for one’s convictions.
The Bundestag president also vowed a determined response to those who seek to respond to freedom and the country’s way of life with terror.
DW.com/NAN 27-07-26
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