Suspect in Berlin Pride vehicle attack is dead, police say

Emergency personnel tend to a person on a stretcher following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day in Berlin on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

Andreas Rabenstein/DPA via AP

Andreas Rabenstein/DPA via AP

At least one person is dead and several people are injured after a vehicle drove into the crowd at a Pride event in Berlin on Saturday, in what German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called “an attack on our society.”

Authorities said Ballout drove a van into a crowd in Tiergarten Park, one of the largest parks in Berlin, during the Pride festival’s closing party at around 10:00 p.m. local time. He then allegedly attacked others with a weapon, suspected to be a machete.

On Sunday, Germany’s interior minister Alexander Dobrindt named the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, saying he was still at large. Ballout was born in Germany but has Lebanese roots.

“Everything we see here points to us dealing with an Islamic terror attack,” Dobrindt said, adding that the total number of injured was 29. Dobrindt said Ballout had come to the attention of in the past because of numerous previous crimes, though he didn’t give further details.

“If you encounter the suspect, immediately dial 110! Do not approach him, he may be armed and dangerous!” Berlin police warned the public on Saturday, adding he was believed to be wearing a black hoodie and white pants.

Chancellor Merz on Sunday called the incident ” a heinous act” on X and said “we are open and freedom-loving—and we will preserve and defend that.”

Kai Wegner, the governing mayor of Berlin, called the incident an “attack on our free and cosmopolitan society.”

“Berlin is the city of freedom – and our freedom has been horribly attacked today,” Wegner said 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.”

Earlier in the day, thousands marched through Berlin to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights during the annual Christopher Street Day Parade, a pride parade. One of Europe’s largest pride events, the celebration was called off after the attack.

Additional reporting by Kate Bartlett.

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