Suspect confirmed dead after deadly Berlin Pride parade attack
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Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Parade on July 25 descended into chaos after a deadly attack on the Pride celebration.
A white minivan plowed into the parade crowd before a suspect fled the car and continued to attack festivalgoers with what is believed to be a machete.
The violent tragedy took place in Tiergarten Park in downtown Berlin. One woman was killed, and 29 others were injured.
German officials confirmed on Sunday evening that a suspect has been shot and killed after a confrontation with police in a local community garden, according to NBC.
The suspect was later identified as Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent. German media reported that Ballout was a supporter of ISIS and even travelled to the Middle East in a failed attempt to join the group.
“Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist terrorist attack,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters.
Christopher Street Day pays homage to the site of the Stonewall Inn in New York City, where riots against police raids launched the decades-long fight for LGBTQ+ rights. The first celebration was held in West Berlin in 1979, and it is regarded as one of Europe's grandest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has condemned the attack as “a heinous act.”
“They wanted us to treat each other with kindness and tolerance. This is an attack on our society,” he wrote on X, adding that the attack will be investigated with the “utmost severity.”
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident in a post on social media. "My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends… And I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will investigate with the utmost urgency."
Since the attack, mourners have gathered to memorialize the victims. Flowers, posters, and candles were laid at the park’s gate alongside heartening messages of love, visibility, and resistance.