Armed police to be deployed for Brighton Pride

Armed police will be sent to the UK's largest Pride festival in Brighton following the attack on the Berlin event, police have said.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the "absolutely horrific" van and stabbing attack in the German capital that left one person dead and injured at least 29 others.

The attack came a week before the Pride festival in Brighton & Hove, which attracts about 500,000 people.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "I want to reassure those attending, as well as residents, businesses and visitors across the city, that their safety remains our top priority."

The suspect in the Berlin attack, Abdul Ballout, who was said to have links to so-called Islamic State, was shot dead by police on Sunday.

He was suspected of driving a van into people gathered for the German festival, killing one person, before stabbing others with a machete.

Sussex Police said uniformed police, plain-clothed officers and specialist teams including armed officers would be deployed across Brighton for the event on Saturday and Sunday.

He added: "We will be working tirelessly this week and throughout the weekend, building on the extensive planning that has taken place over many months with event organisers, Brighton and Hove City Council and other partners, to keep everyone safe and ensure an effective policing operation is in place.

"We encourage everyone attending Pride to enjoy the celebrations, look out for one another, and report any concerns."

Brighton & Hove City Council leader, Bella Sankey, said on social media: "We are deeply saddened by the attacks at Berlin Pride and our thoughts with all those affected...

"We want to reassure all those attending that we are working closely with Brighton and Hove Pride, Sussex Police and our other partners to keep everyone safe.

"We look forward to Pride being a celebration of the diversity, joy and, above all, the unity of our community."

Streeting suggested the Berlin attack showed why Pride was still necessary.

He said such events in the UK were already "always well policed" and struck the right balance between public safety and letting people celebrate.

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