German investigators have discovered a video in which the suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack pledges allegiance to the Islamic State group, prosecutors said on Tuesday, revealing the extremist motive behind an assault that has shaken Germany and reignited debate about security and immigration ahead of regional elections.
The attack occurred on Saturday evening when a 26-year-old Syrian national drove a vehicle into a crowd gathered for Berlin’s annual Pride parade in the city’s Schoneberg district, killing three people and injuring more than a dozen others. Witnesses described scenes of panic as the vehicle plowed through barriers set up along the parade route.
Berlin prosecutors said the suspect recorded a video hours before the attack in which he declared loyalty to the leader of ISIL and described the Pride event as a target. The video was found on a mobile phone recovered from the vehicle, according to a statement from the Berlin prosecutor’s office.
‘The video makes clear that this was a planned act of terrorism inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State,’ Chief Prosecutor Markus Schmidt told reporters. The suspect, who was wounded when police returned fire at the scene, is in custody and being held on three counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder.
The attack has injected security concerns into the political landscape ahead of regional elections in three eastern German states scheduled for September. Polling indicates the far-right Alternative for Germany party is poised to gain ground, and party leaders have already seized on the attack to call for stricter immigration policies and expanded surveillance powers.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack and ordered flags on government buildings to be flown at half-staff. In a televised address, Scholz warned against using the attack to stigmatize the country’s Syrian refugee community, which numbers more than 800,000 people who arrived during the 2015-2016 migration wave.
‘The perpetrator alone is responsible for this crime, and justice will hold him accountable,’ Scholz said. ‘We must not allow this act of terror to divide us or to poison our democracy.’
German security officials have been on heightened alert for attacks linked to ISIL, which has lost territory in Syria and Iraq but continues to inspire attacks through online propaganda. The Berlin Pride attack is the deadliest extremist assault on German soil since the 2016 Christmas market attack in Berlin that killed 12 people.
The LGBTQ community in Germany has vowed that the parade will go ahead next year, with organizers saying they will not allow fear to dictate their lives. Candlelight vigils have been held across the country, with thousands gathering in Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate square on Sunday evening to honor the victims.
In a show of solidarity, several German cities illuminated landmarks in rainbow colors. The country’s major political parties issued a joint statement condemning the attack and reaffirming support for LGBTQ rights. Analysts say the attack is likely to sharpen debates about integration, extremism, and public safety in the final weeks before the regional elections.
‘This will dominate the campaign,’ said Dr. Petra Weiss, a political scientist at the Free University of Berlin. ‘The AfD will use this to push its narrative of failed integration and weak security. The question is whether mainstream parties can offer a compelling alternative message that addresses security concerns without demonizing minority communities.’