Summary

  • A suspect has been shot and killed by police following an alleged "Islamist terror attack" at a Berlin Pride event on Saturday night - watch live above

  • Police say officers fired at him after he rushed towards them "with a knife", and he died at the scene

  • The prosecutor's office alleges that Abdul Ballout drove a van into a crowd and stabbed multiple people in an attack that left one woman dead and at least 29 injured

  • Ballout is a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese background who was known to police and had tried to join the Islamic State group

  • "We cannot rule out the possibility of copycat attacks," warns Germany's interior minister, as he announces that the country's threat level will be raised

  • Berlin should have woken up this morning with a massive hangover after a great party. Instead, it woke up to the sobering realisation of yet another deadly attack hitting the country, writes our reporter in Berlin

  1. What's happened this evening? Here's a quick summarypublished at 19:15 BST

    Things have been moving fast, so here's a recap to bring you up to speed.

    • The suspect from yesterday's attack was killed by police gunfire after he charged towards officers with a knife
    • He was found in an allotment complex in Spandau, west Berlin - here are pictures from the scene as police gather in the area
    • Police have confirmed they are not currently looking for other suspects
    • The case has now been handed over to Germany's murder commission authorities
    A map showing Berlin, where the attack was, and Spandau where the suspect was killed
  2. Police swarm area where suspect was killedpublished at 19:02 BST

    We can now bring you images from the scene in Spandau, a western borough of Berlin, where the suspect in last night's attack was shot and killed this evening.

    The area is teeming with police, who have said they encountered the suspect in an allotment.

    People walk along a path by green gardens
    An ambulance parked on a dirt path by gardensImage source, Reuters
    POlice walking with large gunsImage source, EVN
  3. Police 'not currently looking' for other suspectspublished at 18:58 BST

    A police officer looking at the camera speaking

    The police spokesman continues, saying the suspect "attacked our officers with a knife".

    "We had to stop him, we did that with gunfire and he died as a result," he says.

    Answering a follow-up question from a reporter, the officer adds that police encountered one suspect at the location in Spandau, and are "not currently looking for others".

  4. Berlin police give further details at press conferencepublished at 18:56 BST

    Berlin police are now giving an update to reporters.

    A spokesman confirms officers located the suspect in the leafy western borough of Spandau.

    He was killed after being "shot by an officer", he adds.

    Germany's murder commission authorities have been notified and will now be taking over the case.

  5. Suspect killed after rushing towards officials with stabbing weaponpublished at 18:35 BST
    Breaking

    More now from Berlin police.

    They say the suspect was located in an allotment garden facility in Spandau, in the west of Berlin, at 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) today.

    In the update, police say it's believed he "rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used by our SEK [Special Operations Command] Berlin".

    "Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene," a spokesperson says.

  6. Police confirm suspect in Berlin attack is deadpublished at 18:32 BST
    Breaking

    In a statement, Berlin's police department says the suspect in yesterday's attack died after police used their firearms against him.

    We'll bring you more on this in our next post.

  7. Suspect in Berlin attack shot and killed by police, German media reportpublished at 18:10 BST
    Breaking

    The suspect in the Berlin Pride attack has reportedly been shot and killed during a police operation at a garden complex, German media are reporting.

    Reports say it occured in Spandau, a borough in the west of Berlin.

  8. Suspect tried to join Islamic State group, officials saypublished at 18:06 BST

    As we reported earlier, suspect Abdul Ballout had been convicted and given a prison sentence that he had not yet served.

    Here's a timeline of the relevant background:

    June 16 and 24, 2024: Ballout publishes prohibited Islamic State propaganda on Instagram. Later, the prosecutor's office says, he allegedly "developed the desire to join the armed struggle of ISIS".

    20 May 2025: He travels to Lebanon via Turkey, with the intention of heading to Syria and joining the Islamic State group.

    24 July 2025: He is arrested in Lebanon and sentenced to three months in prison for incitement to religious and sectarian conflict.

    17 November 2025: Ballout returns to Germany after being released, and is arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

    12 May 2026: The Tiergarten District Court sentences him to one year and 10 months' imprisonment for "preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state". The decision is deferred for six months.

    3 July 2026: His address in Berlin-Schöneberg is searched based on suspicion of a violation of Germany's Weapons Act, but only a toy gun is found.

    25 July 2026: Ballout allegedly seriously injures several people in a vehicle ramming attack in Berlin, and a number more "with a bladed weapon".

  9. Suspect had previous convictions for assault and robberypublished at 17:46 BST

    A mugshot shows Abdul Ballout looking to the camera against a white background. He has curly black hair and a partial black beard.Image source, Berlin police

    We can now bring you more on suspect Abdul Ballout, after the Berlin public prosecutor's office released details about his previous criminal history.

    Ballout, a German citizen born and raised in Berlin, with a Lebanese family background, has had multiple run-ins with the law.

    In February 2022, according to the release, he was convicted by juvenile court for assault and robbery after being found guilty of assaulting a victim in the yard of a Berlin high school in September 2019.

    He was also convicted of robbing a victim of a pair of headphones in October 2020 at Innsbrucker Platz, with an accomplice.

  10. Suspect alleged to have used rented vehicle, says prosecutor's officepublished at 17:39 BST

    The public prosecutor's office in Berlin has released a detailed update on Abdul Ballout, who police earlier named as a suspect.

    The statement says it is alleged that Ballout struck people with a rented vehicle in the Tiergarten area last night.

    It says one woman died later in the evening, after the suspect allegedly carried out the ramming attack, then injured several with a bladed weapon.

    We're going through the statement, and will bring you more on the suspect in our next post.

    A white van is shown being lifted onto the back of a flatbed truck, as several men in hi-viz jackets watch from the side.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A damaged van, believed to be the vehicle used in the attack, is removed from Berlin's Tiergarten park

  11. Recap: Manhunt continues following suspected 'Islamist terror attack' at Berlin Pridepublished at 17:32 BST

    Katie Williams
    Live reporter

    People hug each other as they gather at Brandenburg Gate following last night's attack on Berlin PrideImage source, Reuters

    The manhunt continues following a suspected Islamist terror attack on Berlin Pride last night, in which one woman was killed and at least 29 people were injured.

    At least one person is believed to have rammed a van into a crowd before launching a knife attack with "some type of blade" - possibly a machete.

    Officials have named Abdul Ballout - a German citizen of Lebanese background - as a suspect, and multiple others were taken into custody on Sunday, according to German media.

    Ballout was known to police and had previously "committed a number of crimes", says Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who described the incident as a suspected "Islamist terror attack".

    Photos show the police search in action throughout the day; more than a thousand officers have been working on the case.

    There has been an outpouring of grief throughout Sunday, with crowds gathering for a vigil and laying floral tributes. One Pride attendee says the event "will never be the same after the attack".

    Speaking to press earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would not allow the "poison of terrorism" to affect its society, and promised to "act decisively but also thoughtfully".

  12. Merz visits scene of attack after vigil at Berlin churchpublished at 17:21 BST

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now visiting the scene of the attack in Berlin's Tiergarten park.

    He holds a white rose, accompanied by other ministers, including Interior Minister Alexander Dobrint.

    Earlier, he spoke outside a church service that paid tribute to victims, where he pledged to "defend the freedom and openness of our lives".

    Merz standing in a group of people who wear black, holding white roses by their sides. Police stand in front of themImage source, Reuters
    Merz walking along with other people holding rosesImage source, Reuters
  13. People injured no longer in life-threatening condition - German mediapublished at 17:01 BST

    People injured in last night’s attack are no longer in a life-threatening condition, according to German media.

    Outlets including the public service news programme Tagesschau, citing a police spokesperson, report that police have given the "all-clear" regarding those who were seriously injured.

    AFP news agency also quotes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as saying that none of those injured in the Berlin Pride attack are now "in mortal danger".

    Earlier, a Berlin fire department spokesman said three people had suffered life-threatening injuries. Twenty-nine people were hurt, according to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

  14. Queer community stages impromptu protest at Brandenburg Gatepublished at 16:46 BST

    Michael Steininger

    Hundreds of people are shown gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate, with Pride flags and protest signs. One reads "von trauer zu wut zu widerstand", which translates as "from grief to anger to resistance"Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The sign, translated, reads: "From grief, to anger, to resistance"

    It is day one after what is now being described by Germany's interior minister as an "Islamist terrorist attack" on Berlin’s Pride parade last night.

    The queer community, which had turned up in huge numbers yesterday, is reeling - and some of them returned to the Brandenburg Gate today for an impromptu demonstration.

    The speakers did not hold back with their grief and their anger.

    They condemned extremism in all its manifestations, but they also criticised the government for a lack of support, singling out recent budget cuts for queer organisations.

    The addressee of that message happened to be right on the other side of the gate - Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave a statement in which he stressed that Germans would not be intimidated by acts of terrorism, and that they would defend their liberal and tolerant way of life.

  15. Federal prosecutor to take over investigation, says justice ministerpublished at 16:33 BST

    German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig says that the federal public prosecutor general will take over the investigation into Saturday night's attack.

    "Of course, we will pursue those responsible with the full force of the law and bring them to justice," she says, adding that the interior minister "has already stated that this was an Islamist attack".

    The federal prosecutor general is responsible for prosecutions in serious cases, including terrorism.

  16. Multiple people taken into police custody - German mediapublished at 16:20 BST

    Police have taken several people into custody in relation to the attack, according to German media.

    Citing police spokesman Florian Nath, outlets including Die Zeit report that some of those taken into custody have now been released, while others remain held.

    Nath reportedly told journalists that if police cannot assign suspicions of a crime to those detained, then they must be released within 48 hours.

    As we heard from police earlier, it's still unclear if the suspect named as Abdul Ballout is believed to have acted alone, or with accomplices.

  17. Sunflowers, candles and signs left in tribute at Berlin parkpublished at 16:08 BST

    People have been leaving flowers, candles, and messages near the scene of the attack in Berlin's Tiergarten park.

    One sign reads: "wir sind wütend traurig", which translates to "we are angry and sad".

    Another says "liebe siegt" ("love conquers all").

    A man in a black t-shirt and a black kilt lays a rose near tributes in Tiergarten park. Several people can be seen holding sunflowersImage source, Reuters
    A person leaves a message next to flowers near the scene of the attackImage source, EPA/Shutterstock
    A woman writes a message on white card. There are a range of rainbow coloured pride stickers next to it and a number of sunflowers nearbyImage source, EPA/Shutterstock
    A colourful sign shows the faces of politicians including Donald Trump and Friedrich Merz in the word 'Wutend'Image source, Reuters
  18. Police removing van believed to have been used in attackpublished at 15:52 BST

    New pictures from Berlin show the van believed to have been used in the attack being loaded onto a truck.

    Earlier images from the scene showed the vehicle in Tiergarten park, where it appeared to have collided with a tree.

    Police say the suspect used a vehicle to ram a crowd in Saturday night's attack, which killed one woman and injured at least 29 others.

    A van being hoisted up as a flat bed truck waitsImage source, Reuters
    Van on flat bed lorry as people watchImage source, Reuters
  19. At memorial service, pastor urges congregation to 'work against hate'published at 15:42 BST

    A priest is shown with his back to the camera, lighting a candle with a rainbow flag over the table in front of him.Image source, Getty Images

    We're now listening to the service being held inside St Mary's Church in Berlin - Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke briefly outside a short while ago and sits watching.

    To a full congregation, the priest encourages those in attendance to "work against hate and not let that deter us".

    He says they need to "be here for love, to think of the victims of the attack" and their loved ones.

    The priest explains people will have a chance to light a candle and include a personal message.

    You can watch live above.

  20. Four attack victims in intensive care, says Berlin hospitalpublished at 15:35 BST

    A hospital in Berlin has confirmed that four of the people injured in the attack on Saturday are being treated in intensive care units.

    In a post on social media, the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin says it treated eight people injured in the attack and that four patients have been discharged.

    It also confirmed no one in the hospital is in a life-threatening condition.

    Earlier, Germany's interior minister confirmed at least 29 people had been injured in the attack.

    The exterior of a hospital is shown at dusk.Image source, Getty Images