The suspect in the fatal attack near Berlin's Pride celebrations was shot and killed by police during an operation in the Spandau district, ending a major search that had begun the previous night. German authorities identified him as Abdul B., a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese background.
Police located the suspect at an allotment-garden complex at about 6 p.m. Officers said he rushed toward them carrying a stabbing weapon. Members of Berlin's SEK tactical unit opened fire, and first responders were unable to revive him. The supplied account did not say how police tracked him to the site or how many shots were fired.
Authorities had sought Abdul B. after a van was driven into people walking in Tiergarten park near Berlin's Pride festivities shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday. The attacker then used what officials believed was a machete. One person was killed and 29 were injured. By Sunday, police said none of those injured remained in life-threatening condition.
The vehicle was later found abandoned after striking a tree. Police published photographs of the suspect and asked the public for information during the manhunt. The park attack occurred near the parade route but outside the officially designated event area.
German prosecutors said Abdul B. was known to authorities through Islamist circles and had previously sought to join the Islamic State group. According to the account, he travelled to Lebanon in 2025 intending to reach Syria, was arrested there and served three months for offenses including incitement of religious and sectarian conflict.
After returning to Germany, a Berlin juvenile court imposed a suspended sentence of one year and 10 months for preparing a serious violent act and publishing Islamic State propaganda. He remained free pending an appeal. Those earlier proceedings became part of public scrutiny after the Pride attack but did not replace the need to investigate Saturday's conduct and any assistance he may have received.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the festival attack as Islamist terrorism. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called it a heinous assault on German society and promised a severe investigation. Authorities had not disclosed in the supplied report whether they believed anyone else planned or supported the attack.
The suspect's death closed the immediate search but left two inquiries: the full circumstances of the ramming and stabbing, and the police use of lethal force in Spandau. The available police account said officers fired only after an armed advance. Further evidence, including forensic findings and any recordings of the confrontation, was not included. No officer injury was reported.
