The main suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride terror attack has reportedly been shot dead by police during a raid in the German capital, according to local broadcaster rbb.
The suspect, who had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt following Saturday night’s attack near the Christopher Street Day (CSD) celebrations, was reportedly located during a police operation at an allotment garden complex in the Spandau district of Berlin.
According to rbb, officers opened fire after confronting the suspect, who was killed at the scene. Berlin Police had not officially confirmed the shooting at the time of publication.
The development comes less than 24 hours after the attack near Tiergarten Park, close to the Brandenburg Gate, where a vehicle drove into a crowd before the attacker allegedly continued the assault with a machete.
One person was killed and 29 others were injured, several of them seriously, in what German authorities have described as an Islamist terrorist attack.
Earlier on Sunday, Berlin Police identified the suspect as a 21-year-old German man with Lebanese roots who was known to the Islamist scene and warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. A nationwide manhunt had been launched while specialist officers searched a number of addresses linked to him.
The annual Christopher Street Day celebrations were brought to an abrupt end following the attack, with organisers urging hundreds of thousands of attendees to leave the area calmly while emergency services treated the injured.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt condemned the attack, which has prompted a major counter-terrorism investigation and renewed concerns over extremist violence targeting public events.
Berlin Police are expected to issue a further statement as enquiries continue into both the attack and the reported fatal police operation. At the time of writing, authorities had not officially confirmed the suspect’s death.
Originally published by UKNIP.
