German police have launched a nationwide manhunt for 21-year-old Abdul B., a man known to authorities for his links to the Islamist scene in Berlin, following Friday night’s deadly attack during the Christopher Street Day celebrations.
The suspect is accused of driving a van into a crowd gathered in Berlin’s Tiergarten park, killing one woman and injuring 14 others. He remains at large.
According to the German news agency dpa, the suspect was released from a juvenile detention facility only last May. Police have already searched his apartment in Berlin but have so far found no trace of him.
Authorities have now released the suspect’s photograph and personal description, appealing to the public for information.
Police describe him as slim, approximately 1.90 metres tall, with black hair, and believe he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and white trousers at the time of the attack.
In its public appeal, police urged anyone who sees the suspect not to approach him, warning that he may be armed and dangerous, and instead to immediately call the emergency number 110.
Earlier, a police spokesperson said investigators have not yet established the suspect’s exact motive or reconstructed the full sequence of events.
The attack occurred at around 10:15 p.m. local time, while thousands of people were celebrating Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s largest Pride events supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
After driving into the crowd, the van crashed into a tree. According to German media reports, the driver fled the scene carrying a sharp object, believed to be a knife, which he allegedly pointed at members of the public while escaping.
Witnesses quoted by BILD newspaper also reported seeing victims with apparent knife wounds.
Source: dpa
Also read: Limassol: 21-year-old stabbed in the back during violent brawl, two arrested
