Authorities have killed the suspect identified as Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old Lebanese-German national, who rammed a van into a crowd at Berlin's annual Christopher Street Day Pride parade on Saturday, resulting in one death and 29 injuries. German media reported Sunday that Ballout was shot by police during an operation at a garden complex in Spandau, west Berlin. Police stated that the suspect allegedly rushed towards emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, prompting officers from the Special Operations Command (SEK) Berlin to use their firearms. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts, Ballout died at the scene. Police confirmed they encountered only one suspect at the location and are not searching for others.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as an Islamist attack, stating that the suspect drove into the crowd before exiting the vehicle and attacking people with a bladed weapon, possibly a machete. Three of the injured sustained life-threatening injuries. Dobrindt cautioned that further terrorist attacks could not be ruled out.
Ballout, born in Germany in 2005 to a mother who became a naturalized German citizen in 2002, had a prior conviction in May for preparing a serious act of subversive violence, for which he received a suspended sentence. According to reports, he had also attempted to join the Islamic State group in Lebanon in 2025, an attempt that was unsuccessful. He was reportedly arrested in Lebanon and sent back to Germany due to his citizenship. Police sources indicated he had been in pre-trial detention until May 2026 and was ordered to participate in a de-radicalization program.
Recent intelligence suggested Ballout may have posted a photo online posing with a weapon, but a subsequent search of his apartment yielded only a toy replica. Police had been monitoring the suspect's address, located about a kilometer south of the attack site.
The attack occurred around 10 p.m. Saturday when a white van drove into the Tiergarten park, striking several people before crashing into a tree. The incident happened near the closing events of the Pride festival. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called the event "an attack on all of us" and "an attack on our way of life and coexistence." Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the act as "abhorrent."
Organizers of the Christopher Street Day celebrations canceled further events following the attack. Hundreds of thousands had gathered in Berlin for the LGBTQ+ celebration. Authorities urged attendees to evacuate the area in an orderly manner.