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7h ago

Prosecutors Say Berlin Pride Attacker Pledged Allegiance to Islamic State in Video

A July 25 video prosecutors say shows the attacker pledging allegiance to Islamic State has prompted urgent device analysis, reviews of state surveillance, juvenile sentencing and event security measures

Image
Women lay flowers at a tree in the Tiergarten Park, near the scene where a car rammed into people after Saturday's Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Flowers and rainbow flags placed in front of the Brandenburg Gate commemorating the victims of a car attack on Saturday's Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
BERLIN, GERMANY - 2026/07/26: A public information screen displays a Berlin police appeal for information about Abdul Ballout, the suspected attacker in the car attack near the CSD Pride parade. On the evening of July 25, a car drove into people in Tiergarten park, killing one person and injuring 29 others. Authorities are searching for the suspected attacker. (Photo by Vasily Krestyaninov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Overview

  • A rented van was driven into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride closing event on Saturday, killing a 65-year-old Polish woman and injuring around 29–31 people.
  • The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout and was shot dead by police the next day after officers confronted him with a bladed weapon.
  • Investigators recovered a phone in the rented vehicle containing a video recorded on July 25 in which a masked person pledges allegiance to Islamic State and analysts say other storage devices from his home show links to IS.
  • Court records and officials say Ballout travelled to Lebanon in 2025 seeking to join IS, was arrested there, and in May received a suspended juvenile sentence of one year and 10 months and was released on probation while prosecutors appealed.
  • Reporting shows state police had monitored Ballout with measures that included a hidden camera and daily checks but scaled back surveillance after judging no imminent danger, a development that has led to political demands for ankle monitors, tighter oversight and reviews of deradicalisation and juvenile sentencing practices.