Berlin Pride attack suspect ‘shot dead by police’ after alleged terror attack
The suspect in the Berlin Pride attack has reportedly been shot and killed during a police operation at a garden complex following an alleged Islamist terror attack on the parade
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The alleged perpetrator of the Berlin Pride attack has reportedly been shot dead during a police operation at a garden complex, following what is believed to be an Islamist terror attack.
According to Bild, the suspect, Abdul Ballout, 21, engaged in a shootout with the police.
The gunfight occurred in the Spandau district of Berlin. Iris Spranger, Berlin’s Interior Senator, expressed her gratitude: “I am grateful to the security authorities for finding the attacker so quickly. That is a tremendous achievement.”
Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, was known to the police and had previously attempted to join the Islamic State group.
Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, was killed following a search that lasted nearly 24 hours after the attack in downtown Berlin. Berlin prosecutors said the suspect had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group.
Berlin Police have released a statement about the events which led to the shooting of Abdul Ballout.
Berlin Pride attack suspect killed following alleged Islamist terror attack(Image: Getty)
It reads: “Around 6 pm, the suspect in yesterday’s attack in the Großer Tiergarten was located in an allotment garden facility in Spandau.
“According to current findings, he is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used by our SEK Berlin.
“Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene.”
According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. T
The closing party at the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing at the time next to the Brandenburg Gate, a short distance away. The party followed a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The attack did not occur at the festival, along its route or at the closing party. Rather, the violence took place a few hundred meters (yards) away on a track in the Tiergarten park. The van drove into a crowd that was likely a mix of festivalgoers and other locals or visitors.
Police said a woman was killed.
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of mourners gathered at a memorial at the iconic gate. They hugged each other and laid down flowers, candles, rainbow flags and homemade signs, including a cardboard one that said: “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Abdul Ballout was shot dead by cops(Image: POLIZEI BERLIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds of thousands had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it’s unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
“We are simply stunned by what happened,” said Andre Lehmann, a top official with the main national LGBTQ+ association, LSVD+. “This suspected attack hits the heart of the queer community.”
