The Berlin Pride attack is believed to be an act of Islamic terrorism as the hunt continues for a suspect

A car attack on a Berlin LGBTQ+ Pride parade Saturday is believed to have been inspired by an extremist Islamist, authorities said on Sunday, as the search for the suspect continued. An attack at one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events left one woman dead and at least 29 injured.

German police identified the suspect as Abdul Ballout, 21, a German citizen of Lebanese origin. Police described him as part of the Berlin “Islamist” scene and a person known to the authorities.

“Everything we are seeing here indicates that we are dealing with an attack by Islamic terrorists,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Sunday.

Dobrindt said Ballout was born in Germany and that his mother was born in 2002, three years before he was born. He said the suspect had previously been convicted in Berlin, although he did not specify why. He said he was given a suspended sentence of one year and ten months.

The police said they believe that Ballout rented the car used in the incident, but it is not clear if he was the driver. He is described as thin, 6 feet 3 inches tall, with black hair and wearing a black hoodie and white pants.

Police searched the apartment in Berlin’s Schöneberg district early Sunday morning, but said they found no one. The suspect’s vehicle, which was heavily damaged, remained at the scene of the incident on Sunday morning.

In a notice sought on Sunday, police warned that Ballout may be armed and dangerous and said the public should avoid “direct contact.”

Authorities are also working to determine if he was working alone. Investigators believe one or more people may have left the vehicle after the stop. Some victims also suffered stab wounds, making it possible that others were involved in the attack, but authorities have yet to confirm that. Dobrindt said the suspect is believed to have injured people with a machete.

An Iranian man was arrested, but police have not yet confirmed that he is involved in the attack.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed that law enforcement will find the suspect.

“I would like to say this to the participants of Christopher Street Day here in Berlin but also throughout Germany: Don’t let yourself, don’t let yourself, be intimidated,” he said. “These actions have only one goal: They aim to divide our society. They want to take away the most important thing we have: Our openness and our freedom.”

The fire department in Berlin said that of the injured, three were seriously injured, eight were seriously injured and five received minor injuries. The police did not respect the deceased.

The attack happened a few hundred yards from a party near the Brandenburg Gate that was supposed to close the city’s pride festival.

On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of mourners gathered at the memorial at the statue’s gate. They hugged and put down flowers, candles, rainbow flags and homemade signs, including a cardboard saying: “the only thing stronger than hate is love.”

“It’s a dark day for the community,” said Julian Miethig, who attended the event and was planning to go to the party when he heard that “something bad happened” at the event.

Increased ramming attacks

The attack is the latest in a series that has left the country facing questions about public safety.

Six people died and hundreds were injured when the car crashed Christmas market in Magdeburg in December 2024. Two months later, a car arrived union representatives in Munich, a woman and her two-year-old daughter died. Two more people were killed in March 2025 when a the car drove into the crowd in Mannheim.

The attacks have different alleged motives, but they are not together immigration, security and extremism at the center of German politics. The debates have also galvanized support for the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and put pressure on Merz and Germany’s political parties as they try to convince voters they can keep the country safe.