Updated July 26, 2026 at 12:04 PM PDT
The person suspected of driving a vehicle into a crowd at a Pride event in Berlin was killed in a confrontation with police, according to city authorities.
On Saturday, the suspect was found in Spandau, a suburb in Berlin, and ran toward officers with a bladed weapon, Berlin police said on social media. They fired on the suspect, who died at the scene, the officer said.
On Sunday, Germany's interior minister Alexander Dobrindt named the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout. 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 police in the past because of numerous previous crimes, though he didn't give further details.
At least one person is dead and several people are injured 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 urban parks in Germany, during the Pride festival's closing party at around 10:00 p.m. local time. He then allegedly attacked others with a weapon, believed to be a machete.
"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.
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 on Saturday, thousands marched through Berlin to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights during the annual Christopher Street Day Parade, a pride parade. That celebration was called off after the attack.
Additional reporting by Kate Bartlett
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