“Terrorist attack” on Berlin Pride Parade; police are pursuing an “Islamist” suspect

🔸German officials announced on Sunday, the 4th of Mordad, that they have launched a wide-ranging operation across the country to find a suspect in an incident which they describe as a “terrorist attack with an Islamist motive” on a Pride parade in Berlin.

🔸Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s interior minister, said that after the attack, the suspect also attacked people with a cleaver following the van attack. The incident so far has resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to 29 people.

🔸Some of the injured from this attack have been reported as “critical.”

🔸In a press conference, Dobrindt said that the person the German police are searching for had already been known to security authorities in advance and had a record of “a high level of criminal activity.”

🔸According to him, based on initial findings, the man—born in Germany—had become radicalized and had been in contact with extremist Islamist circles.

🔸The German interior minister added that the suspect had previously been sentenced to 1 year and 10 months of suspended imprisonment, but the prosecution had requested an appeal of the sentence.

🔸The suspect is a German citizen who was born in this country in 2005 and has Lebanese origins. His mother received German citizenship in 2002.

🔸Dobrindt also announced that an order has been issued to carry out an “extensive security operation,” and that, in addition to deploying more forces in Berlin, security measures at train stations, airports, and borders throughout Germany have also been intensified.

🔸Police had previously announced that a light-colored van struck several people at around 10 p.m. local time on Saturday near the ceremony of the LGBT community parade known as the “Pride” parade at Tiergarten Park in Berlin. After this incident, the event organizers canceled the celebration and evacuated the area.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.