On Monday the German capital was mourning a fatal attack that occurred at the city’s biggest annual Pride celebration over the weekend. Here’s what we know about the crime, the attacker and how events unfolded.
A solemn mood hung over the German on Monday morning. At the end of what was planned to be a loud and colourful and ecstatic celebration of the queer community, the city was instead mourning a life taken and many injured in an extremist attack.
Berlin’s central Pride parade – known as Christopher Street Day (CSD) – kicked off at noon on Saturday, with stage performances and dancing in the streets planned to continue until midnight.
Just before 10 pm, a suspect drove a white minivan into the Tiergarten Park on the outskirts of the event, striking a number of people before crashing into a tree. Police reported that a man then got out of the car and continued to attack people with a machete.
One woman was killed and 29 people injured. Emergency services were called to the scene to support the wounded, while police shut down the parade and instructed people to leave the area.
Berlin’s annual CSD is one of the biggest LGBTQ+ events in Europe – with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets, some with protest signs and some in vibrant costumes, to demonstrate for equal rights for gay, lesbian and trans people, and to celebrate pride in their culture.
This attack, therefore, is seen as a deliberate attack against the city’s queer community, and also against its widely celebrated value of freedom of expression.
Order of events
Immediately after the attack, the area around Tiergarten in the city centre was closed off.
Police identified the prime suspect at 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, who was believed to be a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
Ballout had managed to flee the scene, triggering a widespread manhunt as more than 2,000 personnel were deployed to search the park and surrounding areas.
Less than 24 hours later, Berlin police said they had tracked the chief suspect to an allotment garden complex in Spandau.
As armed police closed in, Ballout is said to have charged the officers with a knife. Police opened fire and killed the suspect at the scene.
READ ALSO: Suspect in deadly Pride attack shot dead by Berlin police
Police officers with automatic weapons stand in an allotment complex in the western Spandau district of Berlin on July 26, 2026. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
The woman who was killed in the attack has been identified as a Polish citizen who had been in Berlin with her daughter.
What is known about the attacker?
Abdul Ballout was a German citizen of Lebanese origin.
He had previously been convicted of several crimes, including for causing bodily harm, extortion and robbery. The most recent of his convictions had occurred in May.
Reports in German media have since raised the question of why he was not already in prison.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Ballout was arrested on his return to Berlin in November 2025 after serving a three-month prison sentence in Lebanon, where he had unsuccessfully tried to join IS in Syria.
The now 21-year-old had been tried under juvenile criminal law. After a long pre-trial detention period, he was sentenced to 22 months in juvenile detention on May 12th by the Tiergarten district court, for preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.
The Attorney General’s Office had appealed, demanding a higher sentence. In the meantime the court revoked an existing arrest warrant because “pre-trial detention primarily serves to secure the criminal proceedings and does not constitute an anticipated punishment.”
Speaking about the case, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told ARD, “There is now a very serious question about how someone identified as a potential threat could be given a suspended sentence.” He added that the matter would be investigated in detail.
There had been searches at Ballout’s Schöneberg address at the beginning of July, but only a toy gun was found. According to a report by Bild, he was supposed to appear on Monday for a deradicalization course.
‘Brainwashed’
Reporting by Der Spiegel revealed that Ballout had called his father and “talked normally” just hours before the incident.
Ballout’s father said that his family is Shiite and does not support IS. “He was brainwashed,” the father told Spiegel – he did not think his son was capable of committing such an act.
Extremism consultant Thomas Mücke of the Violence Prevention Network (VPN), who had previously conducted an interview with Ballout, shared his own assessment with German media.
Speaking to ARD he described his initial impression of Ballout as being “very composed, cautious, controlled and friendly”.
Still, the now dead attacker was not due to move forward with VPN’s deradicalization program. He had not cooperated fully, and avoided key questions, according to Mücke.
‘Berlin stands together’
Already on Sunday, officials and Berliners alike took part in mourning the victims of the attack and sharing messages of unity in the face of extremist violence.
Flowers, candles, messages and a rainbow flag can be seen Monday morning on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache
Thousands attended a march, and a demonstration for the victims of the attack, which moved from St. Mary’s Church to the Brandenburg Gate.
The Brandenburg Gate was lit up with rainbow colours and the phrase “Berlin, Stadt der Freiheit” (“Berlin, city of Freedom”).
“Berlin’s thoughts are with the victims, their relatives, friends and all those who had to witness the crime,” the Berlin Senate Chancellery wrote on Bluesky.
Berlin steht zusammen. 🏳️🌈 Nach dem Anschlag beim Christopher Street Day wird das Brandenburger Tor heute in Regenbogenfarben angestrahlt. Berlin ist in Gedanken bei den Opfern, ihren Angehörigen, Freundinnen und Freunden und allen, die die Tat miterleben mussten.
— Senatskanzlei Berlin (@regberlin.bsky.social) 26 July 2026 at 21:45
“Hate and violence must never determine how we live or whom we love. Berlin stands together…” said another post by the city Senate.