A massive manhunt following a deadly attack during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations concluded on Sunday afternoon when police shot and killed the primary suspect. Authorities identified the man as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese heritage.
Officers opened fire after Ballout reportedly rushed at them with a knife while they were at an allotment in the western Berlin borough of Spandau.
The confrontation brought an end to a search operation launched after a white van was driven into a crowd of people near Tiergarten park just before 22:00 local time on Saturday. The incident resulted in the death of one woman and left at least 29 others injured.
Following the vehicle ramming, police reported that several victims also sustained injuries in a subsequent stabbing attack. According to German media reports, the individuals injured in the attack are no longer in life-threatening condition.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that evidence points to the event being an "Islamist terror attack." Dobrindt noted that the suspect had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offences, radicalisation, and affiliation with the Islamist scene.
Further details released by the Berlin public prosecutor's office outlined Ballout's extensive criminal history.
In May 2025, he allegedly traveled via Turkey to Lebanon with the intention of joining the Islamic State group in Syria. While in Lebanon, he reportedly made contact with individuals he believed were members of the group. He was arrested in Lebanon in July 2025 and sentenced to three months in prison for incitement to religious and sectarian conflict.
Upon returning to Germany in November 2025, Ballout was arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and held in pre-trial detention. In May of this year, he was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison for "preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state." The decision was deferred for six months, and he was placed under the supervision of a parole officer.
His criminal record also includes convictions for assault and robbery in 2022 and the robbery of a victim's headphones in 2020.
Minister Dobrindt announced that Germany’s threat level would be raised following the attack, and other states have been briefed and advised to review security measures for major events. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the scene at Tiergarten park on Sunday and later spoke outside a church service held to pay tribute to the victims.
"These extremists have no place in our society," Merz said, adding that Germany would not allow the "poison of terrorism" to affect its society.
The attack occurred on Ahornsteig street, a path stretching across the forested area of Tiergarten park, shattering the atmosphere of the Christopher Street Day event. A clean-up event and a breakfast market scheduled for Sunday morning were both cancelled. Later in the day, members of the LGBT community gathered at the Brandenburg Gate for an impromptu vigil.
Speakers at the event condemned extremism while also criticizing the government for a lack of support, specifically citing recent budget cuts for queer organizations.
Drag artist Armin Duenhoelter, who was backstage at the main stage during the attack, expressed his resolve to continue participating in future celebrations, stating, "We won't let it beat us down."
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