BANGKOK (AP) — An American diplomat was found dead in Myanmar's largest city, the U.S. State Department said, and members of the diplomatic community in Yangon say a Thai woman has been detained by police in connection with the investigation.
American officials in Thailand and the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar referred questions on the case to the State Department, which confirmed the “death of a U.S. government employee” assigned to the embassy in Yangon but gave no other details.
“Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones, we have no further information to provide at this time,” the State Department said in an emailed reply to questions from The Associated Press.
According to three people in the diplomatic community in Myanmar, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, the man was found dead about two weeks ago at the Sakura Residence & Hotel. The facility, with long-term rentals, is popular with diplomats, business people and other international visitors, and is located about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the American Embassy.
They said police are treating the case as a possible homicide and have a Thai woman in custody.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said it has provided consular assistance to the woman in custody and notified her family, but would not comment further.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is embroiled in fighting between the country's military-led government, which ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, and a disparate group of militias organized by the country's ethnic minority groups and pro-democracy forces.
Authorities typically give little information to the media, and the duty officer answering the phone at the police station responsible for the area where the Sakura hotel is located refused to comment and hung up on an AP reporter.
The manager of the Sakura hotel also declined to comment.
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
FILE - This shows U.S. Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, on Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo, File)
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities on Sunday issued a wanted notice for a fugitive suspect in the van ramming near Berlin’s Pride festival that left one person dead and injured at least 16 others.
Police and prosecutors asked for help in finding the 21-year-old, whom they identified as Abdul B.
They said he is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle late Saturday evening, and that one or more people apparently then left that vehicle. Several people were also apparently stabbed, they added.
Sunday’s notice warned the public to avoid “direct contact” with the suspect, saying that he may be armed and dangerous.
Police had said earlier that they had identified a suspect who has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.
“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesperson Florian Nath said.
Nath added that investigators had no information on “his specific motives.”
According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. The closing party at the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing nearby at the time, following a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.
Police said a woman was killed. Berlin's fire service said that three people sustained life-threatening injuries, another eight were seriously injured and five had slight injuries.
The Pride event next to the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was shocked by “this cowardly, abhorrent attack on people celebrating peacefully.”
Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it's unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Two people walk together past emergency vehicles in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Two people embrace near others wearing thermal blankets as they stand near emergency personnel in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
