Berlin Pride attack suspect shot dead during police operation

BERLIN — The suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack that left one person dead and 29 injured was shot and killed by police during a confrontation on Sunday in a suburb of the city, authorities said.Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, was killed following a search that lasted nearly 24 hours after the attack in downtown Berlin. Prosecutors said he had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group.Officers opened fire when Ballout, 21, rushed at them with a knife in Spandau, a western borough of Berlin.It brought an end to a massive manhunt that was launched after a white van was driven into a crowd of people near Tiergarten park just before 22:00 (local time) on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others.Police say following the ramming, several people were injured in a stabbing attack.Speaking to reporters on Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said evidence pointed to it being an “Islamist terror attack”.”We are dealing with a suspected perpetrator, who had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offenses, radicalisation and affiliation with the Islamist scene,” Dobrindt said.Dobrindt said Germany’s threat level would be raised following the attack, while other states were also being briefed about the attack and advised to review their security measures for major events.On Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the scene of the attack in Tiergarten park.He later spoke outside a church service that paid tribute to victims, where he pledged to “defend the freedom and openness of our lives”.”These extremists have no place in our society,” he said, adding that Germany would not allow the “poison of terrorism” to affect its society.Berlin police have said people were hit on Ahornsteig street, which is a long path stretching across the Tiergarten park, largely in a forested area.Meanwhile, German media say those injured in the attack are no longer in a life-threatening condition.