Berlin Pride attack suspect shot and killed during police operation

The man suspected of carrying out what authorities say was likely an “Islamist terror attack” at Berlin Pride has been shot and killed by police.

Officers opened fire when Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen with Lebanese heritage, rushed at them with a knife in Spandau, a western borough of Berlin.

It brought an end to a massive manhunt that was launched after a white van was driven into a crowd of people near Tiergarten park just before 22:00 (local time) on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others.

Police say following the ramming, several people were injured in a stabbing attack.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said evidence pointed to it being an “Islamist terror attack”.

“We are dealing with a suspected perpetrator, who had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offences, radicalisation and affiliation with the Islamist scene,” Dobrindt said.

A statement released by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office revealed further details about Ballout’s criminal history.

In May 2025, prosecutors said he travelled via Turkey to Lebanon, with the intention of joining the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria. While in Lebanon he allegedly made contact with several individuals he believed were members of IS.

He was arrested in Lebanon in July 2025 and sentenced to three months in prison for incitement to religious and sectarian conflict.

Then in November 2025 he returned to Germany where he was arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and held in pre-trial detention.

In May this year, he was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison for “preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state”. The decision was deferred for six months and he was placed under the supervision of a parole officer.

He was previously convicted of assault and robbery in 2022, and of robbing a victim of headphones in 2020.

Dobrindt said Germany’s threat level would be raised following the attack, while other states were also being briefed about the attack and advised to review their security measures for major events.

On Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the scene of the attack in Tiergarten park.

He later spoke outside a church service that paid tribute to victims, where he pledged to “defend the freedom and openness of our lives”.

“These extremists have no place in our society,” he said, adding that Germany would not allow the “poison of terrorism” to affect its society.

Berlin police have said people were hit on Ahornsteig street, which is a long path stretching across the Tiergarten park, largely in a forested area.

Meanwhile, German media say those injured in the attack are no longer in a life-threatening condition.

Saturday’s attack shattered the joy and revelry of Berlin’s Christopher Street Day, where hundreds of thousands spill onto the city streets for one of Europe’s most famous Pride events.

Christopher Street Day commemorates the first known uprising among the LGBT community in New York City in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, which is located on Christopher Street.

A clean-up even due to take place at Tiergarten park and a breakfast market scheduled for Sunday morning were both cancelled following the attack.

Later in the day, some members of the LGBT community returned to the iconic Brandenburg Gate for an impromptu vigil.

Speakers condemned extremism in all its manifestations, but they also criticised the government for a lack of support, singling out recent budget cuts for queer organisations.

Armin Duenhoelter from Wolfsburg, who works as a drag artist, was backstage at the main stage when the attack happened.

He told Agency France-Presse that he was still shocked but vowed to be back for next year’s pride celebration.

“We won’t let it beat us down,” he said.