World
Berlin CSD attack: assailant was enrolled in a deradicalisation programme
Abdul B. killed one woman and injured 29 people in an attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD), an event supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. He was enrolled in a deradicalisation programme run by the Violence Prevention Network (VPN), a German NGO focused on preventing extremism. Two advisers met him twice in the days before the attack. They described him as polite, friendly and reserved, and detected no warning signs. Thomas Mücke, the organisation’s director, said the advisers had been unable to establish meaningful contact with him. Abdul B. did not mention his Islamist ideology during the meetings.