Friedrich Merz: "an Islamist who sought to attack those values"

On June 28, a 21-year-old German man drove a rented van into a crowd near Berlin’s annual Pride celebration, then attacked people with a knife, killing a Polish woman and injuring 29. The suspect, a known Islamic State supporter whose previous sentence had been suspended, was fatally shot by police. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the victims had been demonstrating for openness and diversity and were assaulted by an Islamist extremist hostile to those principles. The attack is fueling debate over Germany’s handling of radicalized individuals, with officials urging stricter laws and the far-right AfD using the incident to criticize the government ahead of three state elections in September. Merz pledged a determined response to security shortcomings.