Saturday's attack shocked Germany and sparked a nationwide manhunt
The German government on Monday pledged tougher security laws following a deadly vehicle and machete attack blamed on a known jihadist militant near Berlin’s Pride parade.
The attacker on Saturday ploughed a rented minivan into a crowd before slashing away at people with a machete, killing a 65-year-old Polish woman and wounding 29 others near the site of the LGBTQ community event.
Politicians, security experts and a police union asked why Abdul Ballout, 21 — who was shot dead by police on Sunday — was walking free and not under close surveillance despite previous convictions by a juvenile court and an attempt to join the so-called Islamic State group.
“The danger from this man was underestimated,” Rolf Tophoven of the Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy told AFP, echoing widespread concerns.
