Armed officers to patrol UK's largest Pride event amid heightened safety fears

Armed officers will be deployed for the UK's largest Pride festival this weekend, police have announced, following an attack on an LGBT+ event in Berlin.

Sussex Police said uniformed police, officers in plain clothing and "specialist teams" including armed police would be patrolling the Brighton & Hove Pride event, amid heightened concerns about safety.

The van and stabbing attack in the German capital on Saturday night left one person dead and at least 29 injured.

The suspect - named as Abdul Ballout and said to have links to the so-called Islamic State group - was shot dead by police on Sunday after being on the run for nearly 24 hours.

He is suspected of slamming a van into a crowd gathered for the festival, killing one person, before stabbing others with a machete.

The attack came a week before the UK's biggest Pride festival is due to take place in Brighton and Hove - which attracts an estimated 500,000 people to the city on England's south coast.

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

"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.

"Uniformed policing, plain-clothed officers and specialist teams including armed officers will be deployed across the city, which all form part of our comprehensive plans for policing this event."

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The leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, said in a post on the council's Facebook page: "We are deeply saddened by the attacks at Berlin Pride and our thoughts with all those affected.

"We stand in solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community and, as we look forward to Brighton & Hove Pride this weekend, we want to reassure all those attending that we are working closely with Brighton & 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."

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the attack as "absolutely horrific" and added that the Berlin incident showed why Pride events were still necessary.

He added that such events in the UK are "always well policed" and struck the right balance between public safety and allowing people to celebrate.

(c) Sky News 2026: Armed officers to patrol UK's largest Pride event amid heightened safety fears