A suspect in the attack on a Pride event in Berlin has been shot and killed by police. Authorities identified him as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, who was fatally shot at around 6pm in an allotment garden complex in the Spandau district.
Police believe the attack, which targeted a crowd attending an LGBTQ+ event, was an act of Islamist terrorism. Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, said the suspect drove a vehicle into people before attacking others with a blade, possibly a machete.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. near the Brandenburg Gate, close to celebrations for Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ Pride events. One person was killed and 29 others were injured.
Dobrindt stated that “everything we are seeing here indicates that we have experienced an Islamist attack.” He also confirmed that the suspect was a German citizen of Lebanese background who was previously known to police. The man had earlier been sentenced to one year and ten months in prison, but the sentence was converted to a non-custodial penalty following a legal challenge.
Berlin police said the suspect was located in Spandau and, according to initial findings, charged at emergency responders while armed with a stabbing weapon. Officers from the SEK unit then opened fire. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts by emergency services, he died at the scene.