The suspect in the Berlin Pride attack has been shot and killed during a police operation at an allotment garden complex in Berlin’s Spandau suburb.
Abdul Ballout is a German citizen with Lebanese roots and was killed following a search that lasted nearly 24 hours after the attack in downtown Berlin. Berlin prosecutors said the suspect had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group, as per AP.
Here are 5 things about the suspect Abdul Ballout:
- Abdul Ballout is a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese background, described by officials as a “radicalized” member of “Islamist circles” in Berlin.
- German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, “Everything we are seeing here indicates that we have experienced an Islamist attack,” according to Reuters.
- Ballout had previously been sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison in Berlin, but the sentence was later changed to parole, per Reuters.
- German media reports say Ballout supported the Islamic State group and had unsuccessfully tried to join the organization in the past.
- Police sources quoted by German media said he traveled to Lebanon in 2025 and was arrested after returning to Berlin, and had been in pre-trial detention until May 2026 with an order to join a de-radicalization program, per BBC.
Also Read: ‘Act of Islamic terror’: German police hunt ‘dangerous’ Abdul B after 1 killed, 29 injured near Berlin’s Pride festival
Dobrindt added, “We cannot rule out the possibility that further terrorist attacks might take place,” and said Germany’s threat level would be raised following the attack, as per Reuters.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack, writing on X, “They wanted us to treat each other with kindness and tolerance. This is an attack on our society.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote, “Every person should be able to live, love, and stand up for their rights without fear.”
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What happened in the attack
A vehicle was driven into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday night, killing one woman and injuring 29 others. The attack happened in Tiergarten park around 10pm local time, near the Brandenburg Gate, where hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations, according to reports.
The suspect is also believed to have stabbed people with a bladed object, possibly a machete, officials said.
Three of the injured have life-threatening injuries and eight are seriously injured, Berlin’s fire department spokesman Dominik Pretz said Sunday morning. The Pride event, known as Christopher Street Day was cancelled shortly after the attack, with organizers telling the crowd to evacuate. Police later confirmed they had found the vehicle used in the attack, which had crashed into a tree.
Who was Abdul Ballout? 5 things to know about ISIS-linked Berlin Pride attack suspect killed in manhunt
