German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the car ramming carried out on July 25 against a group of people near Tiergarten park in central Berlin “an assault on liberal values.”

He noted that the incident was discussed at meetings of the CDU party presidium and federal executive board. “It was an attack on our freedom and liberal values,” Merz told journalists, also describing the attack as “a blow to freedom and to Germany’s free society.”

On the evening of July 25, 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese origin Abdul Ballut drove a car into a group of people near Tiergarten park in central Berlin, where a rally in support of LGBT community rights was taking place. According to German security agencies, the suspect also attacked people with a machete. A woman was killed in his attack and 29 people were injured. The following day, the attacker was killed during a special operation.

Law enforcement authorities are proceeding on the assumption that Ballut may have been a supporter of the terrorist group Islamic State. He had previously been convicted for preparing a terrorist attack and had undergone a mandatory deradicalization program.