The man accused of ramming a van into crowds and stabbing bystanders at Berlin’s Pride event has been shot dead by police, German authorities confirmed, closing out a manhunt that stretched nearly 24 hours across the German capital.
The terror attack took place on Saturday evening as crowds gathered for Berlin’s Pride celebrations in the city centre. According to prosecutors, the attacker drove a vehicle into the crowd and then stabbed multiple people, leaving one woman dead and at least 29 others injured.
Police identified the attacker as Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent. He was already known to law enforcement, with prior convictions for assault and robbery, and investigators said he had previously attempted — unsuccessfully — to join the Islamic State group.
Ballout fled the scene after the attack, triggering a large-scale search across the city that lasted close to a full day. German media reported he was tracked down to an allotment garden complex on the outskirts of Berlin, where officers attempting to arrest him were confronted; some broadcasters reported he rushed at police with a bladed weapon during the encounter. Officers opened fire, killing him on Sunday evening.
Berlin prosecutors have not yet publicly detailed a specific motive beyond Ballout’s documented sympathies toward Islamic State, and an investigation into the attack, his movements beforehand, and the circumstances of the fatal police confrontation is continuing. Authorities have not indicated whether any accomplices are being sought, and further details are expected as German officials review the use of lethal force in the final confrontation.
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