Berlin Pride attack suspect shot and killed

Germany has warned that further terrorist attacks cannot be ruled out even after police shot dead the man suspected of killing one person and injuring 29 others near Berlin’s Pride celebrations.

Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent, was killed on Sunday when armed officers closed in on him at a garden complex in Spandau, west Berlin.

Police said Ballout allegedly rushed towards officers with a stabbing weapon during the operation, forcing members of the Special Operations Command to open fire.

He died at the scene despite immediate attempts to resuscitate him. Police said they were not searching for any other suspect in connection with the attack. Reuters

His death ended a large-scale manhunt launched after a van ploughed into people near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride celebrations on Saturday night.

One person was killed and 29 others were injured, including three who suffered life-threatening injuries.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said available evidence pointed to an Islamist attack.

“Everything we are seeing here indicates that we have experienced an Islamist attack,” Dobrindt said.

He added that the suspect rammed the vehicle into the crowd before attacking people with a blade believed to be a machete.

The minister, however, warned that Ballout’s death might not mark the end of the threat.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that further terrorist attacks might take place,” he said.

German media reported that Ballout travelled to Lebanon in 2025 in an unsuccessful attempt to join the Islamic State group.

He was later returned to Germany and convicted of preparing a serious act of violence, but reportedly received a suspended sentence.

The attack forced organisers to end the Pride celebration near the Brandenburg Gate and cancel two other events.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the incident as an attack on Germany’s way of life and peaceful coexistence.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz also condemned the violence, describing it as “an attack on our society”.

Hundreds of mourners later gathered near the Brandenburg Gate to remember the victims as investigators continued examining the suspected extremist attack.