Berlin Pride attack suspect shot dead by police, had ties to Islamic extremism
Officials reveal new details in 'Islamic terrorist attack'
German Police are searching for 21-year-old Abdul Ballout for allegedly acting out of Islamist extremism. He remains on the run at this time. One person was killed and 20 others were hurt in a deadly van-and-machete attack.
The man accused of killing one person and injuring dozens more during a large Pride event on Saturday in Berlin was shot and killed by police officers after a nearly day-long search, according to authorities.
Big picture view:
Law enforcement accused Abdul Ballout of driving a van into a crowd gathered in a park for the German capital’s Pride festival before getting out and stabbing other people with a machete in what was described as an Islamic extremist terror attack. A German citizen with Lebanese roots, Ballout previously tried to join the militant Islamic State, prosecutors noted.
Timeline:
The attack happened around 10 p.m. in Tiergarten park, which sits along the route of a Pride parade that happened earlier in the day. In addition to the one person who died, 29 people were injured, authorities said.
The Pride celebration, which is known in Germany as Christopher Street Day, had drawn hundreds of thousands of people who came to watch the parade or join in the other festivities.
Investigators identified the suspect soon afterward and stated that they were searching for him. That search ended Sunday when law enforcement caught up with Ballout around 6 p.m. in a Berlin suburb. According to police, Ballout ran toward officers with a sharp object, and police responded by firing at least one shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
What they're saying:
There is now a memorial near the scene of the attack. The Associated Press spoke with Ashley Jump, 26, who traveled from the U.K. to Germany for the event, which is one of the largest in Europe, but had left earlier in the day.
"They’ll never erase us, we’ll never be gone," they said. "As long as humanity has existed, we’ve existed. And as long as humanity exists, we will exist. We will not be removed."
Landmark Brandenburg Gate appears in rainbow colors as candles are lit in front of in on the evening of July 26, 2026 in Berlin, one day after the car ramming attack on people on the outskirts of Berlin's Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade on late J
Dig deeper:
Berlin prosecutors offered more details about Ballout’s prior activities, saying he went to Lebanon in 2025, hoping to reach Syria and join the Islamic State. After making contact with people he believed were members of the militant group, he was arrested and sentenced on charges that included incitement to religious and sectarian violence.
In May, Ballout was convicted of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, as well as publishing Islamic State propaganda on his Instagram account, among other charges, prosecutors said. He was given a suspended sentence of one year and ten months in prison.
Prosecutors appealed the ruling, but Ballout was released from detention during the appeal.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.