Berlin police shot and killed the suspect in a deadly attack on the city’s Pride festival after he allegedly charged at officers with a knife during an arrest attempt on Sunday, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as 21-year-old bloomberg.com, was located at 6 p.m. local time at an allotment garden complex in the Spandau district. According to Berlin police, Ballout rushed at members of the city’s special police unit, or SEK, with a weapon, prompting officers to open fire. He died at the scene despite resuscitation efforts by firefighters.
Details of the Assault
Authorities have accused Ballout of driving a vehicle—described as a van in some reports—into a crowd near the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday night. The assault occurred on a track in Tiergarten Park, a few hundred meters from a party intended to close out the festival. While the attack took place outside the secure festival area, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that many victims were traveling to or from the festival site.
The attack resulted in the death of one woman and injured 29 others. Berlin’s fire department spokesman Dominik Pretz reported Sunday morning that eight people were seriously injured and three others sustained life-threatening injuries. In addition to the vehicle ramming, officials stated that Ballout and potentially others exited the vehicle to attack people with a bladed weapon, which prosecutors described as a machete.
Terrorist Affiliations and Criminal History
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as an Islamist terrorist attack,
stating that all available evidence indicates the assault was carried out by a radicalized member of Islamist circles
in Berlin. Prosecutors further revealed that Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese background, had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group, also known as upi.com.
According to Berlin prosecutors, Ballout traveled to Lebanon in 2025 with the intent of entering Syria to join the group. While there, he contacted individuals he believed to be members of the militant organization. This led to his arrest in Lebanon last year, where a military court sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment for offenses including incitement to religious and sectarian conflict.
In Germany, Ballout was known to police for a high volume of criminal offenses. Dobrindt noted that Ballout had previously been sentenced in Berlin to one year and 10 months in prison, a sentence that was commuted to parole. Other reports indicated he had a criminal conviction as recently as May.
Official Response and Community Impact
The attack targeted a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people celebrating one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events, which included a parade with approximately 80 trucks through downtown Berlin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the assault as “a heinous act” and an attack on our society,
pledging that the incident would be investigated with the utmost severity.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed sympathy for the victims, stating that the Pride event represents freedom, dignity, and equality.
Alfonso Pantisano, the Berlin state government’s queer liaison officer, wrote on social media that Saturday should have been a day of joy, visibility and freedom.
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