Conservatives demand stiffer penalties after Berlin Pride attack

A senior lawmaker from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) called on Sunday for harsher punishment for terrorists following the attack on the Berlin Pride parade.

Noting that police are seeking a 21-year-old suspect known to authorities for Islamist ties, Günter Krings, an interior affairs expert for the conservative party, backed stiffer penalties for Islamist terrorists, including offenders under the age of 21.

"If the strong indications of an Islamist perpetrator are ultimately confirmed, this latest attack once again underlines the serious threat posed by Islamist terrorism in Germany," Krings told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

He argued that the attack on a Pride event demonstrated "how deeply these perpetrators hate our free Western way of life."

"Political Islamism does not accept peaceful coexistence between different cultures but instead advocates the persecution and destruction of minorities," Krings said.

He proposed longer prison sentences for violent offences committed by people under 21, greater use of preventive detention for dangerous offenders, more consistent use of detention ahead of deportation and stricter requirements for naturalization.

CDU internal affairs spokesman Alexander Throm meanwhile called for rapid passage of pending security legislation. The bill includes expanded digital investigative powers and retention of IP addresses for criminal investigations.

Police union chairman Heiko Teggatz demanded broader powers to prevent attacks. He said police should be granted powers to conduct online searches of digital files and be allowed to monitor encrypted communications directly on a suspect's device.

Video surveillance in public places needed to be expanded, he added.

Teggatz said that these powers were currently available mainly after a crime had been committed but should also be strengthened for preventive security operations.