Berlin [Germany], July 27 (ANI): The suspect in the fatal ramming attack at Berlin’s Pride event was shot dead in a police operation on Sunday, Berlin Police has said.
A driver struck a crowd near Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day Pride event in Tiergarten park on Saturday night, killing one person and leaving 17 others injured. Berlin police promptly launched a manhunt.
In a post on X, the Police stated that they had localised the suspect at a garden allotment in Spandau on the western outskirts of the city around 6 p.m. local time.
The police shot at the suspect after he charged at officers while armed with a stabbing weapon, according to the statement.
“Around 6 p.m., the suspect in yesterday’s attack in the Grosser Tiergarten was located in an allotment garden facility in #Spandau. According to current findings, he is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used by our SEK Berlin. Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene,” the post read.
Gegen 18 Uhr konnte der Tatverdächtige des gestrigen Anschlags im Großen Tiergarten in einer Kleingartenanlage in #Spandau lokalisiert werden. Nach bisherigen Erkenntnissen soll er mit einer Stichwaffe auf unsere Einsatzkräfte zugelaufen sein, daraufhin kam es zum polizeilichen… pic.twitter.com/ncslEZom7N
— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) July 26, 2026
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According to official statements previously released by the Berlin Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect was identified as 21-year-old Abdul B., a man known to law enforcement and linked to the Islamist spectrum. 
The operation unfolded after joint investigative efforts pinpointed a potential location for the suspect at a garden allotment on Ruhlebener Strasse in the district of Spandau.
Authorities previously noted that one or more individuals were believed to have fled the original scene in a vehicle, and investigations into possible accomplices remain ongoing.
This comes as a van drove into a crowd in Tiergarten Park shortly after 10 p.m., prompting an evacuation and a major emergency response. Mourners later gathered near the scene despite security concerns.
Following the incident, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz strongly denounced the attack, publicly offering his support to those affected and commending emergency personnel for their rapid action that likely averted further casualties, according to DW.
Merz described the van ramming as an “abhorrent event.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims of this Islamist terrorist attack,” Merz told reporters, extending his sympathies to the victims and their families. “I wish those who sustained injuries a swift recovery.”
The Chancellor expressed deep gratitude to emergency crews and law enforcement officers for “intervening as quickly as possible, which could well have prevented an even worse outcome last night.”
Addressing participants of Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride events across Germany, Merz urged the public to remain resilient in the face of violent extremism, DW reported.
“Let us not be intimidated by these crimes,” he declared. “They want to divide our society, they want to take the most important thing that we have: namely, our open society, our liberal society.”
“We will not allow this poison of terrorism … to spread in our society,” Merz added. “We will stand together in this country.”
The Chancellor concluded by promising that the German government would act decisively to bring anyone involved in the attack to justice “as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed gratitude to Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and federal law enforcement agencies for their seamless coordination with local authorities during the investigation, according to reporting by DW.
Praising the city’s spirit before the violence occurred, Wegner reflected on the celebrations that took place earlier in the weekend. “Yesterday Berlin had celebrated a great day. Berlin was colourful, Berlin showed how diverse and open this city is,” he remarked.
Wegner emphasised that the ramming struck at the core of the city’s identity, describing it as an assault on “our way of coexisting” and on “our liberal democracy, openness and freedom.”
“It was an attack on all of us,” Wegner stated, announcing that flags at Berlin City Hall will fly at half-mast in tribute to the victims.
Addressing the security operation surrounding the Pride festivities, Wegner noted that “information channels worked” effectively between agencies. He commended CSD organisers for handling the crisis “professionally” and “without panic.” (ANI)