Bloody attack on Berlin Pride Parade: One killed, 29 injured after being crushed by a van; Suspected terrorist killed in police encounter Bloody attack on Berlin Pride parade: One killed, 29 injured after being crushed by van; suspected terrorist killed in police encounter

A gruesome and deadly attack took place during the ‘Berlin Pride’ parade organized in the German capital Berlin, which has shocked the entire country. A speeding white van suddenly rammed into the crowd near the closing concert of Pride on Saturday night, resulting in the tragic death of a woman and serious injuries to 29 people. After hitting the van, the accused also attacked many people with sharp weapons. Following a massive search operation that lasted for nearly 24 hours following the sensational incident, the prime suspect was killed in an encounter with police on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.

The attacker is of Lebanese origin and has links with Islamic State (IS).

Authorities have revealed that the main suspect in the Berlin Pride attack was Abdul Ballout, a Lebanese-born German citizen. Investigation has revealed that this suspect had earlier also tried to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. German prosecutors issued a ‘wanted’ notice for him soon after the incident and issued a warning to the public not to approach him as he was extremely dangerous and armed. Germany’s Home Minister Alexander Dobrindt has called this entire incident a planned ‘Islamic terrorist attack’. He said that the suspect has been involved in several criminal cases in the past and was on the radar of security agencies due to his contacts with fundamentalist and Islamic extremist groups operating in the capital.

Chaos created near Tiergarten Park, Chancellor and Mayor condemned the incident

This bloody game took place around 10 pm on Saturday night near the Tiergarten Park, which is close to the route where the Berlin Pride March, ‘Christopher Street Day’, one of the largest LGBTQ+ events in Europe, had passed shortly before. The uncontrolled van finally crashed into a tree, crushing many people. After this tragic accident, the police immediately appealed through social media to vacate the incident site so that relief and rescue operations could be carried out quickly. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner has described this incident as a direct attack on Germany’s free and liberal society. At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has appealed to the citizens to maintain restraint in such times and remain united against the forces creating fear and mutual disunity in the society.