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Berlin Pride attack suspect shot and killed by police

cultureJul 27, 2026531,226

German police shot and killed 21-year-old Abdul Ballout after he rushed officers with a knife in Spandau, western Berlin, ending a manhunt following an attack near Tiergarten park that killed one woman and injured at least 29 people. Authorities say a white van was driven into a crowd on Ahornsteig shortly before 22:00 local time on Saturday, and that several people were then stabbed. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said evidence pointed to a likely Islamist terror attack and noted Ballout had a history of criminal offences, radicalisation, and links to the Islamist scene. Prosecutors say Ballout traveled via Turkey to Lebanon in May 2025 intending to join Islamic State, was arrested in Lebanon in July 2025 and sentenced to three months, returned to Germany in November 2025 and was later convicted in May of preparing a serious act of violence with his sentence deferred for six months under supervision. German media reported those injured are no longer in life-threatening condition. Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the scene at Tiergarten and pledged to defend freedom and openness; authorities raised Germany's threat level and cancelled planned events at the park while an impromptu vigil gathered at the Brandenburg Gate.

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