Suspect Still at Large
CSD: Passenger Arrested, Fears of Another Attack
In Berlin, the search for suspected terrorist Abdul Ballout is in full swing following the attack that left one person dead and 29 injured. One person has since been arrested; he is believed to be the passenger who was in the vehicle when Ballout plowed into the crowd of revelers during Christopher Street Day (CSD).
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen On Sunday afternoon, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) visited the scene of the attack and issued a statement on the current status of the investigation. In doing so, he officially referred to the incident as a terrorist attack for the first time.
“Everything points to an Islamist motive,” Dobrindt said. After the rampage, the perpetrator attacked additional passersby with a bladed weapon—presumably a machete—and seriously injured them as well.
Perpetrator Likely Not a “Lone Wolf”
Apparently, the terrorist is not a “lone wolf.” The suspect, Abdul Ballout, had previously come to the attention of authorities due to a high number of criminal offenses, radicalization, and his involvement in Islamist circles, Dobrindt continued.
In Berlin, he had been sentenced to one year and ten months in prison, but the sentence was suspended. The public prosecutor’s office had filed an appeal against this decision. Dobrindt did not specify exactly what Abdul Ballout had been convicted of.
Passenger Arrested
Given that the terrorist apparently moved in circles known for such activities, there is an increased risk of further attacks; authorities are conducting an intensive manhunt for the 21-year-old. One arrest has already been made; according to media reports, the individual is believed to be the attacker’s passenger.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) emphasized that the route of the Christopher Street Day parade was not affected by the attack: “The perpetrator did not make it that far because the police and security authorities had secured the route. But there were still Christopher Street Day attendees about 400 meters away.”
Memorial Service and March
Wegner announced that the Berlin Senate would convene for a special session at 3:00 p.m. Discussions with security agencies are also planned to gather insights on how such acts can be prevented in the future.
According to Wegner, a memorial service is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Berlin’s Marienkirche. Afterward, participants will march together to the Brandenburg Gate in a memorial procession.
“We won’t let this get us down”
As early as Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people had gathered at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the victims. People laid down flowers, lit candles, and embraced one another, while others held up rainbow flags, posters, and banners bearing messages such as “Hate is deadly,” “An attack on one is an attack on us all,” or “We will dance again.” “Yesterday was an attack on all of us, on all our events, on our livelihoods, on our community, and on our democracy. And we won’t let this get us down,” said one of the speakers on stage.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Willkommen in unserer Community! Eingehende Beiträge werden geprüft und anschließend veröffentlicht. Bitte achten Sie auf Einhaltung unserer Netiquette und AGB. Für ausführliche Diskussionen steht Ihnen ebenso das krone.at-Forum zur Verfügung. Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.