Police shoot dead Berlin Pride car-ramming attack suspect - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera English reports that German police shot and killed Abdul Ballout, the suspect in a deadly vehicle attack near Berlin’s Pride celebrations, on Sunday, July 26, after a roughly 24-hour search. Police said Ballout, identified as a 21-year-old German citizen with Lebanese roots, was found at an allotment garden complex in Spandau, northwest Berlin, and was fatally shot after moving toward officers with a bladed weapon. Authorities said resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

The attack occurred on Saturday evening near Tiergarten and the Brandenburg Gate, where crowds had gathered for Christopher Street Day, Berlin’s Pride event. According to the report, a van was driven into attendees, killing one person and injuring 29; some injuries were described as life-threatening. Officials said at least one person left the vehicle after the ramming, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Ballout was suspected of further attacking people with a machete before fleeing.

Dobrindt said the available indications pointed to an “Islamist terror attack” and said Ballout had been known to authorities for numerous prior crimes and radicalisation. Al Jazeera, citing German media, reported that he previously received a suspended sentence after a conviction linked to preparing a serious act of subversive violence following an unsuccessful attempt to join ISIL.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said the end of the manhunt was a success for investigators, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised a full investigation and urged the public not to let the attack fuel division. The incident has also intensified scrutiny over how a known suspect could carry out such an attack and has already entered Germany’s wider political debate over security and immigration.