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 biggest LGBTQ+ events has left one dead and at least 29 injured.

German police have identified the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout. 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.

Police searched the apartment in Berlin’s Schöneberg district early Sunday morning, but said they found no one. The suspect’s car, which was badly 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.

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.

Before the attack, large crowds had spent hours peacefully celebrating. The event, which took place in front of Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate, included a number of floats, live music and a march.

“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 Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Germany’s political parties as they try to convince voters they can keep the country safe.

Merz called Saturday’s incident “an attack on freedom” and promised that those involved will face the law.

“What a despicable act in Berlin,” Merz wrote on social media. He added that Germany loves freedom, “and we will preserve and protect that.”