Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has announced significantly heightened security measures for future events similar to the incident at the Berlin CSD parade, following the fatal crash. Addressing the media at the scene in Berlin’s Tiergarten on Sunday, he stated that federal states are currently being informed of these changes. Dobrindt emphasized that future large-scale events, including additional CSD gatherings, would be subject to a thorough review, and security protocols would be substantially increased if necessary. He warned that such terrorist attacks could inspire imitators, though he conceded it was not a typical development in such situations.
The Minister also provided details concerning the perpetrator. The 21-year-old suspect is a German national with Lebanese ancestry. He was born in Germany in 2005, and his mother became a naturalized citizen in 2002. According to Dobrindt, the suspect had a history of “a variety of criminal offenses,” and was recently sentenced in Berlin to one year and ten months of probation. The public prosecutor’s office had appealed against the condition of his probation.
The hunt for the perpetrator continues. Although the arrest of an alleged passenger in the vehicle involved in the incident was not officially confirmed during Dobrindt’s statement at the scene, there were no questions addressed to him regarding this matter. The 21-year-old, identified as Abdul B., is reported to have sped into the Tiergarten with a small truck around 10 p.m. on Saturday, where CSD participants were celebrating. He subsequently struck a tree before fleeing the scene. Furthermore, Dobrindt said that several people were injured by stabbing weapons, suggesting that the suspect may have attacked bystanders with a machete.
According to the latest information, the attack resulted in 29 injuries in total, and one woman lost her life.
