Suspect Shot and Killed After Berlin Pride Attack

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:17:30 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A 21‑year‑old suspect is dead after police shot him during a manhunt over the Berlin Pride ramming attack, the German Interior Ministry says.

Police shot Abdul Ballout, a 21‑year‑old German citizen of Lebanese descent, during a counter‑terror operation after a van rammed a crowd at Berlin Pride. Authorities label the incident an Islamist terror attack, citing his earlier attempts to join ISIS in Syria. The attack killed one woman, wounded at least 29 others and sparked a major manhunt. German officials have raised the country’s threat level and intensified security for major events. The LGBT community mourned while calling for stronger protection amid budget cuts to queer organisations.

German police shot Abdul Ballout, a 21‑year‑old citizen of Lebanese heritage, during a manhunt following a violent ramming of a crowd at Berlin Pride.

In the night of 25 July, a white van slammed into a group of LGBT revelers near Tiergarten park, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others. Police later responded to reports of knife‑wounding victims and pursued Ballout across Spandau, where officers fired on him, killing the suspect before he could reach the Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as an “Islamist terror attack” and cited Ballout’s criminal history, including an attempted joining of IS in Syria and convictions for assault and robbery in Germany.

The attack drew the German government to raise the national threat level and prompted Chancellor Friedrich Merz to visit the scene, pledging to defend “freedom and openness” and condemn extremism. The sentiment among the LGBT community was one of grief and resilience; a spontaneous vigil at the Brandenburg Gate saw rainbow flags and flowers in protest of rising hate crimes.

Police have reported that all injured civilians are no longer in life‑threatening condition, though the city’s Pride celebrations were curtailed with the cancellation of a cleanup event and a breakfast market. The incident has cast a shadow over Europe’s most famous LGBT festival, prompting calls for increased security and support for queer organisations amid recent budget cuts.