Second suspect in deadly Berlin Pride attack set free

A second suspect in the fatal attack on Berlin Pride has been released, authorities said on Monday, one day after the alleged perpetrator was shot dead by police. 

A spokeswoman for the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said the man was released after initial investigations did not substantiate the suspicion of his involvement.

One person was killed and 29 injured in Berlin's Tiergarten park on Saturday amid Christopher Street Day (CSD) celebrations, the name used for Pride events in Germany. 

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Sunday that the attack appeared to be motivated by Islamist terrorism.

The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul B, reportedly drove into a crowd with a van and attacked passers-by with a machete before fleeing, leading to a day-long manhunt. 

The Berlin-born man with Lebanese roots was well known to authorities and had previously been given a suspended sentence of one year and 10 months, prompting questions by politicians over the suitability of youth sentences for extremists.

He was killed at an allotment in the western district of Spandau on Sunday after allegedly charging at security forces with a weapon. 

Despite resuscitation efforts by medics from the fire brigade, the man died at the scene.

Several media outlets had reported over the weekend on the arrest of a second person, but Dobrindt said that such attacks are typically carried out by lone perpetrators.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Germany's highest prosecuting authority, has taken over the case.