The search for the individual responsible for the attack on Berlin’s Christopher Street Day event concluded abruptly with his death following a police operation. Abdul Ballout, the suspect, was reportedly found at a garden allotment within the city, bringing an end to an intensive, hours-long pursuit that had gripped the German capital. Reports from public broadcaster rbb indicated his location, while the German tabloid BILD noted that police presence in the Spandau district was significant, with witnesses recalling the sound of gunshots.
This development followed a widespread manhunt initiated after a vehicle plowed into a crowd near the Tiergarten park on Saturday evening, an incident that prompted the cancellation of the Pride event. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU party confirmed that one woman died in the attack, with 29 others sustaining injuries, some of them severe. Dobrindt characterized the event as an “Islamist terrorist attack,” detailing that the assailant not only used the van as a weapon but then reportedly attacked people with a machete. Speaking at the scene on Sunday, the minister expressed his profound shock and dismay.
While the attack occurred on the fringes of the Christopher Street Day demonstration route, away from the official procession, a significant number of people were still in the vicinity, either departing the event or simply spending time there, according to Governing Mayor Kai Wegner. Medical updates from a spokesperson for Charité hospital indicated that four of the injured had been discharged, though four others remained in intensive care. Crucially, none of those still hospitalized were in a life-threatening condition at that time.
The suspect, identified as Abdul B., a 21-year-old German national of Lebanese descent, had been known to authorities prior to this incident. Born in Germany in 2005, he had a history of various offenses and was classified by security authorities as radicalized and prone to violence. Investigations by SZ, NRD, and WDR revealed that he had allegedly attempted to travel to Syria to join the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Furthermore, he had been arrested at Berlin airport last year upon his return from Lebanon, on suspicion of preparing a terrorist offense, leading to pre-trial detention until May 2026.
Despite his known background, Abdul B. had been slated for deradicalization counseling. However, his full admission into the program remained undecided, as he was still in an assessment phase to determine the appropriateness of more intensive support. Daily newspaper Die Welt reported that only two meetings had taken place, with a third scheduled for the following week. These initial appointments were voluntary. Counsellors described Abdul B. as polite and cooperative during these sessions, though doubts persisted regarding his genuine commitment to the deradicalization process.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU party attended a church service for the victims and their families at St. Mary’s Church on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) and Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD). Before the service, Merz affirmed Germany’s resolve to “defend freedom,” vowing not to allow the “poison of terrorism” to spread. He pledged that federal authorities would work diligently to apprehend all those responsible, subsequently evaluating the attack’s consequences and making appropriate decisions with calm deliberation and determination. Merz emphasized that perpetrators of such crimes had “no place at the heart of our society” and underscored the commitment to defending societal freedom, transcending party-political divides.
