One dead as van rams Berlin CSD parade; interior minister calls it Islamist terror attack

What happened

A driver steered a van into people at the edge of the Berlin Christopher Street Day (CSD) event. One woman died and 29 people were injured. The suspect fled and a large-scale manhunt was under way; police later named him as 21-year-old Abdul B., a German citizen born in Berlin, and published his photograph.

The suspect

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the suspected attacker is a 21-year-old man who had been "auffällig" (conspicuous) in the past, with a "hohes Maß von Straftaten" (high number of prior offences) and an "islamistische Radikalisierung" (Islamist radicalisation). Dobrindt told reporters the man belonged to the Islamist scene. The Federal Prosecutor General has since taken the case over at the federal level.

Everything points to an Islamist terrorist attack.

Government response

Speaking at the scene, Dobrindt called on organisers of major public events and CSD parades to review their security concepts. "Wir erwarten, dass die Sicherheitsmaßnahmen in diesem Zusammenhang noch einmal betrachtet werden" (We expect the security measures to be looked at again in this context), he said. If in doubt, they should be raised.

One cannot rule out that such terrible acts, such terrorist attacks, also find copycats.

He added that while such a scenario was not typical, it could not be excluded.

Manhunt and investigation

Police continued an intensive search for the suspect. Dobrindt confirmed that the suspect had already been known to authorities for previous crimes. The investigation has since been handed to the federal prosecutor's office.