A wanted notice has been issued for an “Islamist” fugitive after a van rammed into a crowd during Berlin’s famed LGBTQ+ parade on Saturday, killing one person and injuring at least 29 others.
Police and prosecutors asked for help in finding a 21-year-old, whom they identified as Abdul Ballout.
German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said: “We cannot rule out the possibility that further terrorist attacks might take place.
“This is not typical in these circumstances, however, it can’t be ruled out.”
Dobrindt told reporters during a press conference the suspect is a naturalised German citizen of Lebanese background.
He said Ballout used a vehicle to drive into a crowd, crashed into a tree and then used a knife or “another blunt instrument”, such as a machete, to attack passers-by, causing serious injuries.
Dobrindt adds that everything he has seen indicates that the city had experienced “an Islamist attack”.
The minister said Ballout is on the run and that a large number of officers from Berlin and the federal police are working to find him.
Previously, Ballout had been known to police and has committed a number of crimes. He was radicalised and known to be part of the Islamist scene
He was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison, however, this was reduced to a non-custodial term which prosecutors appealed.
Authorities on Sunday said Ballout is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle, and that one or more people apparently then left that white van. Several people were also apparently stabbed, they added.
The fugitive notice warned the public to avoid “direct contact” with the named suspect, saying that he may be “armed and dangerous”.
Ballout is said to be 6ft 2 ins, of slim build, with black hair and wearing a black hoodie and white trousers.
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin early on Sunday. Credit: AP
Berlin Police had said earlier that they had identified a male who has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.
“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesman Florian Nath said.
White vehicle suspected of being used in the attack inside the police cordon at Tiergarten park. Credit: AP
Nath added that “we still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself.”
Two people embrace near others wearing thermal blankets as they stand near emergency personnel in Berlin. Credit: AP
The event in Berlin was called off hours after it had begun.
Police said a woman was killed. Berlin’s fire service added that three people sustained life-threatening injuries, another eight were seriously injured and five had slight injuries.
The van, with its battered front resting against a tree, could still be seen at the scene Sunday morning.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described what happened as “an attack on our society.”
“What an abhorrent act in Berlin,” Merz wrote in a post on X. He added that Germany loves freedom, “and we will preserve and defend that.”
Police cleared the scene before revealing that a car had driven into the crowd. Credit: AP
Last night, firefighters and ambulances were out with many emergency staffers at the park to attend to the victims.
Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin on Saturday to celebrate at Berlin’s pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
The pride event in front of the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate in downtown was called off around 10.15pm. A band’s performance on stage was interrupted.
Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours. Credit: AP
People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the Tiergarten park.
Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours, dancing to loud music, and cheering the around 80 floats that participated in the parade.
Mayor Kai Wegner expressed shock, saying that “following a peaceful and vibrant pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner.”
“This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society,” Wegner said. “I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be working around the clock to investigate.”
Julian Miethig, who had attended the LGBTQ+ party at the Brandenburg Gate earlier, said he had just wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that “something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.”
He said he went to Tiergarten and was shocked that something like this could have happened at Berlin’s pride celebrations.
“It’s a dark day for the community,” he said.
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