Friday, August 21, 2026

One killed, 29 injured as van rams into crowd in Berlin

Authorities said police have launched a manhunt for the suspect, identified as Abdul Ballout.

• July 26, 2026
Abdul Ballout and a scene from the Berlin attack
Abdul Ballout and a scene from the Berlin attack

German authorities have said a car rammed into a crowd, killing one woman and injuring 29 others, in what is likely a terrorist attack.

Authorities said police have launched a manhunt for the suspect, identified as Abdul Ballout.

The attack happened at Christopher Street Day on Saturday at Tiergarten Park near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

At the scene of the incident in Berlin on Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters, “Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist terrorist attack.”

Mr Dobrindt explained that the suspect rammed the vehicle into the crowd before getting out to attack people with a knife.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, who stood next to Mr Dobrindt, said the incident was “probably an Islamist terrorist attack on our way of living alongside one another, on our liberal democracy, our openness and our freedom.”

Berlin police, in a series of posts on X on Sunday, confirmed the attack while declaring the suspect wanted.

“Due to the suspicion of an attack, the Berlin General Public Prosecutor’s Office and our LKA are conducting further investigations. According to findings so far, the alleged suspect is Abdul B,” the police said.

The suspect is a German of Lebanese descent, according to the police.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described it as a “heinous act” and “an attack on our society,” while offering his condolences to the families of the deceased and those injured in the attack.

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