The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, reiterated this Monday that the attack against the Pride celebrations in Berlin was not "random" and called for responses that go beyond the usual statements of condemnation, after the mass incident that left one fatality and nearly thirty injured.
"It is clear that we cannot limit ourselves to just statements. We will have to react with caution, but also with determination," emphasized the conservative leader at a press conference in Berlin, where he also questioned whether the attack could have been prevented.
He insisted that "the target of the attack was not chosen at random" and that it is not just an aggression directed at the LGTBI community. "It was an attack against our freedom, it was an attack against our free society. It was an attack against our freedom and our liberalism," he denounced, pointing to an attack against the fundamental values of the country.
Merz announced that the German government will adopt new measures in order to "protect and defend the freedom, openness, and liberalism" that characterize German society, without detailing for the moment what kind of initiatives will be implemented.
On the other hand, this Monday the mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, confirmed that the woman who died in the alleged Islamist-motivated attack was a Polish citizen who was traveling in the German capital accompanied by her daughter.
The Berlin police reported on Sunday that they shot the suspect of the incident during the Pride celebrations in Berlin, after he lunged at the officers with a "sharp weapon in his hands."
Preliminary investigations indicate that a single person, the German Abdul B., of Lebanese origin and 21 years old, was responsible for the attack against the Pride events. According to the investigation, the suspect showed an alleged interest in maintaining affiliation with the jihadist organization Islamic State.