Islamic Terror Suspect ARMED and Dangerous After Shocking Attack Near Pride Event

Liberty Check

• German authorities confirm Islamic terror motives behind violent attack that left one dead and 29 injured near Berlin Pride festival
• Suspect Abdul Ballout remains at large and potentially armed after allegedly using van and machete against civilians
• Interior minister reveals suspect’s radicalization and prior criminal record — yet another preventable attack by someone known to authorities

A suspect with documented ties to Germany’s radical Islamic networks is on the run after allegedly plowing a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival and attacking others with a machete in what officials are calling an Islamic terror attack. One person is dead and at least 29 others are injured.

German authorities launched an intensive manhunt Sunday for Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots whom officials say may be armed and dangerous. The suspect was already known to police for criminal activity and radicalization.

“Everything we see here points to us dealing with an Islamic terror attack,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.

The minister revealed the suspect had previously come to the attention of authorities for multiple crimes, as well as his “radicalization and belonging to the Islamist scene.” Despite this knowledge, Ballout remained free to carry out Saturday’s attack.

Dobrindt said Ballout was born in Germany and that his mother became a naturalized German citizen in 2002, three years before he was born. He said the suspect previously received a suspended prison sentence of one year and 10 months but did not disclose the conviction details.

Police said a white van drove into a crowd in Berlin’s Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. Saturday before crashing into a tree. Authorities say the suspect then attacked several people with a machete before fleeing the scene.

A woman was killed in the assault. Three people suffered life-threatening injuries and eight others were seriously hurt, according to Berlin’s fire service. Dobrindt confirmed at least 29 people were injured in total.

The attack happened a few hundred yards from Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day Pride celebration — one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events — but not on the parade route or at the festival’s closing event near the Brandenburg Gate. Investigators said the victims appeared to include both Pride attendees and other people who were in the park.

Organizers stopped the celebration shortly after the attack, cutting off a live performance and urging people to leave the area immediately.

Berlin police confirmed Ballout has been identified as the suspect but had not been arrested as of Sunday. Police spokesman Florian Nath said the suspect was known to investigators because of his alleged ties to Islamic groups in Berlin.

“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,” Nath said.

“We still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself.”

Police searched several locations across Berlin overnight and into Sunday, including an apartment in the Schöneberg district, but did not find the suspect. The manhunt continues as authorities warn the public that Ballout may still be armed.

This attack follows a pattern of radical Islamic terrorism across Europe, where suspects known to authorities for extremist ties are allowed to remain free until they strike. The failure to act on intelligence about radicalized individuals has cost innocent lives once again.

Our freedoms depend on staying vigilant.