A 65-year-old Polish woman from Warsaw was the sole fatality in the attack on the Berlin Pride parade, reporter Tomasz Lejman of Polsat News has established. The information was confirmed by Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór and Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner. Twenty-nine people were wounded in the attack, among them the victim’s daughter.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday in Berlin’s Tiergarten park, near the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz. According to investigators, 21-year-old Abdul B. drove a white van into a crowd of people walking along an alley during the Pride parade, which was attended by thousands. The attack left one person dead and 29 injured.
Polsat News reporter Tomasz Lejman established that the deceased was a 65-year-old Polish woman from Warsaw. Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór told polsatnews.pl that her daughter is among the wounded. Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner confirmed the information, saying he had offered condolences to Jan Tombiński, the chargé d’affaires of Poland in Germany.
The attack and the suspect
– I was very moved by what happened on Saturday, and my thoughts are with Poland, and above all with the daughter and family of the murdered woman – Kai Wegner said, as quoted by dpa. Witnesses reported that after crashing the van into a tree, the driver fled on foot. German police launched a manhunt, issued a wanted notice, and released the man’s image.
The perpetrator, a German citizen of Lebanese origin, was shot dead on Sunday evening in an allotment garden area in the Berlin district of Spandau. Police special units said the suspect attacked them with a bladed weapon, prompting them to open fire. Despite resuscitation efforts, the man died at the scene. German authorities identified him as a sympathizer of the Islamic State (IS).
Official reaction and consular support
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the attack as an Islamist terrorist act. In a statement on social media, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór wrote: – Shocked and deeply saddened, we received the information that the victim of the tragic attack in Berlin was a Polish citizen. We extend our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
He also said that the Polish consul in Berlin remains in contact with German authorities and will provide the victim’s family with necessary consular assistance. The attack has sent shockwaves through both Polish and German communities, with officials on both sides expressing solidarity and grief.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
