BERLIN, Germany (TNND) — The suspect involved in the deadly Berlin Pride attack that left one dead and 29 injured was shot and killed during a confrontation with the police on Sunday, according to authorities.
Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, was killed after a nearly 24-hour search following the attack in downtown Berlin. Prosecutors said Ballout had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group.
He was suspected of driving a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday night before apparently stabbing others with a machete. Law enforcement shared that they believe it was an Islamic extremist terror attack.
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt shared that the attack occurred near a party that took place near the Brandenburg Gate that was supposed to close out the city’s Pride festival.
Police tracked Ballout’s location around 6 p.m. on Sunday at a garden in Spandau, a Berlin suburb. Police said Ballout apparently ran toward officers with a sharp instrument, and police fired at least one shot. He died at the scene.
Ballout was born in Germany, the minister said. His mother was naturalized in 2002, three years before he was born.