BERLIN — Abdul Ballout, the suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack on Saturday, was shot and killed by police on Sunday during a confrontation in a western suburb of Berlin. The attack involved a white van being driven into a crowd near Tiergarten park just before 22:00 local time, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others. Following the ramming, several people were injured in a stabbing attack.

Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese heritage, was killed after he rushed at officers with a knife in the Spandau borough. This ended a nearly 24-hour manhunt.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as likely an "Islamist terror attack," stating, "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."

Prosecutors revealed that in May 2025, Ballout traveled via Turkey to Lebanon with the intention of joining the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria. He returned to Germany in November 2025, where he was arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and held in pre-trial detention. In May 2026, a juvenile court convicted him of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state and publishing Islamic State propaganda on social media.

The attack occurred a few hundred yards from a party near the Brandenburg Gate that was meant to close out Berlin’s Pride festival. Authorities believe Ballout drove the van into the crowd and then carried out a stabbing spree with a machete.

Ashley Jump, a 26-year-old UK resident, had attended the Pride parade but left before the attack.

Interior Minister Dobrindt emphasized the need to "defend the freedom and openness of our lives," adding, "These extremists have no place in our society."

Sources