(de-news.net) – German authorities intensified their response after the deadly attack near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations, transferring the investigation to the Federal Prosecutor General while continuing the search for the main suspect. As public tributes honored the victims, new details emerged about the suspect’s previous contacts with a deradicalization program and his earlier classification by security services as an Islamist threat.
Following the fatal attack near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged a firm government response while urging restraint until investigators establish the full circumstances of the case. Speaking in Berlin on Sunday, he said authorities would use all available means to identify and apprehend those responsible as quickly as possible and would carefully assess any resulting policy or security measures. Merz also stressed that extremist violence had no place in German society, reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting democratic institutions and civil liberties. He argued that terrorism and attacks directed against freedom would not be allowed to erode social cohesion or undermine the country’s democratic order.
The investigation remains focused on the primary suspect, 21-year-old Abdul B., who is alleged to have driven a small truck into crowds celebrating in Berlin’s Tiergarten at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday before the vehicle struck a tree and the driver fled the scene. Authorities further suspect that, after abandoning the vehicle, he attacked pedestrians with a machete or another bladed weapon. According to the latest official information, the attack left one woman dead and 29 people injured. Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig announced that the Federal Prosecutor General would assume responsibility for the investigation, reflecting the case’s suspected terrorism-related dimension and its national significance.
Suspect was under review for deradicalization before attack
On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the victims in a public display of mourning and solidarity. Participants observed a minute of silence, laid flowers, lit candles, and displayed messages condemning hatred while expressing support for those targeted in the attack. Police said all injured victims were no longer in immediate danger. Meanwhile, investigators continued examining whether additional suspects may have been involved after reports suggesting that a possible passenger had been detained remained unconfirmed. Authorities said they were still working to determine whether more than one person fled from the vehicle following the assault.
Separately, additional details emerged about the suspect’s previous contacts with Germany’s deradicalization system. After his release from detention in May, Abdul B. had been under consideration for admission to a Berlin-based deradicalization program. According to security sources, he had received a suspended juvenile sentence of one year and ten months for preparing a serious act of politically motivated violence, with participation in counseling required as one of the court-imposed conditions.
Representatives of the deradicalization organization said he had completed two preliminary assessment sessions but had shown little indication of acknowledging personal problems or engaging meaningfully with the counseling process. A final decision on whether to admit him to the full program had been scheduled following a third interview planned for the coming week. Staff members reportedly observed no signs suggesting an imminent threat during the initial meetings and therefore found no grounds to alert law enforcement authorities.
Media reports also indicated that security agencies had previously classified Abdul B. as an Islamist threat whom authorities considered radicalized and potentially prone to violence. He had reportedly spent time in pretrial detention on suspicion of preparing a terrorist offense before his release. Investigators have not yet determined whether he acted alone, although officials now believe that one or more individuals may have left the vehicle after it came to a stop. The investigation continues to examine both the vehicle attack and the subsequent assaults involving bladed weapons as components of the same incident. While authorities continue reviewing the overall casualty figures and reconstructing the sequence of events, they maintain that the reported fatalities and injuries resulted from the combination of the vehicle assault and the subsequent attacks on pedestrians.
