Earlier, the German chancellor vowed to respond to the suspected Islamist terrorist attack in Berlin with "full caution and determination."
The incident comes at a difficult time for Friedrich Merz, who is leading a relatively unpopular coalition government, writes skynews .
The German government is facing difficulties in reaching agreements on tough economic measures necessary to reform the country's economy.
She is also undergoing a difficult cabinet reshuffle, prompted by the resignation of Merz's parliamentary group leader, Jens Spahn, who became a father through a surrogacy process, a practice that is illegal in Germany.
At this critical moment, the ruling coalition parties – the Christian Democratic Union of Merz (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) – are also facing two difficult regional elections in the eastern parts of Germany.
The far-right opposition party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), is leading the polls in both elections, campaigning mainly on immigration and security issues, topics that could receive more attention after yesterday's terrorist attack.
The AfD, which has long opposed policies on sexual diversity, reacted quickly to the incident. Its co-chair, Tino Chrupalla, wrote on the X platform: "We will not allow religious extremists to divide our country through violence and intolerance!"
The attack on the Berlin Pride event is the first major terrorist incident that Merz has faced since taking office as chancellor.
However, as opposition leader, he faced a series of attacks in the run-up to the 2025 German general election.
Merz's reaction at the time caused controversy, as he decided to put to a vote a resolution to tighten restrictions on immigration.
The resolution, which was not legally binding, was passed with the help of the AfD, after Merz was accused of seeking the party's support to pass it.
Critics later said that this decision cost Merzi important votes in the subsequent elections. /Telegraph/
