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Berlin Pride attack ends
A suspect identified as Abdul Ballout was shot and killed by police during a confrontation on Sunday in Spandau, ending a nearly 24-hour manhunt after a white van drove into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival Saturday night and a stabbing followed.
“00:38 01:03 07:49 01:46 02:19 52:05 26:50 20 Minutes with AFP Published July 26, 2026 at 1:30 PM • Updated July 26, 2026 at 5:08 PM The investigation is progressing rapidly after the tragedy that struck the German capital”
Authorities said the attack killed one person and injured 29 others, with the violence taking place in Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate at about 10 p.m. local time on Saturday.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said evidence pointed to it being an "Islamist terror attack," as police described Ballout rushing at officers with a knife in Spandau.
The BBC reported that officers opened fire when Ballout, described as a 21-year-old German citizen with Lebanese heritage, rushed at them with a knife, bringing an end to the manhunt launched after the ramming near Tiergarten park.
Leaders urge unity
Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Germans not to be intimidated, telling Christopher Street Day participants in Berlin and across Germany, "Don't let yourselves, let us not let ourselves, be intimidated," and saying the acts aimed to divide society.
DW reported that Merz said violence begins with intolerance, with "exclusion, with discrimination, with thoughtless remarks, and with bad jokes," as he spoke at a traditional meal hosted by Libori Guild in Paderborn.
At the scene, Andre Lehmann of LSVD+ said, "This suspected attack hits the heart of the queer community," while the AP reported hundreds of mourners gathered at a memorial at the Brandenburg Gate.
The BBC also quoted Dobrindt describing Ballout as a suspected perpetrator who had previously drawn attention to himself through a "high volume of criminal offences, radicalisation and affiliation with the Islamist scene."
Security and investigations
Berlin police said the suspect was located around 6 p.m. in Spandau at an allotment garden complex, and that he ran toward officers while armed with a bladed weapon before police opened fire.
“BERLIN (AP) — The suspect in the Berlin Pride attack that left one person dead and 29 injured was killed by police during an exchange of fire on Sunday in a suburb of the city, authorities said”
Al Jazeera reported that officials asserted the attack was an "Islamist terror attack" and described Ballout as the main suspect in the Saturday evening ramming that killed one person and injured 29.
The investigation and threat assessment remained active, with DW reporting Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt telling ARD that "we do not believe there is any further danger," while also saying "additional measures" were underway.
The BBC said Dobrindt stated Germany's threat level would be raised following the attack, and that other states were briefed and advised to review their security measures for major events.
