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Berlin Pride Terror Suspect Dead After Confrontation With Police
Berlin Pride Terror Attack
Suspect Killed by Police
Published
The suspect accused of plowing a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival and attacking others with a machete is dead after a confrontation with police, authorities say.
German officials say Abdul Ballout was killed Sunday following a nearly 24-hour manhunt … after Saturday’s attack left one person dead and 29 others injured.
Berlin prosecutors say Ballout previously sought to join the Islamic State group, and authorities are investigating the Pride attack as an act of Islamic extremist terrorism.
Berlin Police released a statement on X … claiming Abdul is said to have rushed toward emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used. Despite immediate resuscitation measures initiated by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene.
As TMZ previously reported … cops say Ballout barreled into Tiergarten — Berlin’s most prominent park — and plowed through people near the Pride parade route before fleeing the scene. Police said some victims suffered life-threatening injuries, while others had stab wounds.
The bloodshed unfolded just a few hundred yards from a party that was supposed to close out Berlin’s annual Pride festival … prompting officials to cancel the remaining celebrations.
Hundreds of thousands of people had attended Berlin’s Pride parade, which is one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
A crowd reportedly gathered at a memorial near the crime scene Sunday to mourn the victim and show support for Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community. German officials have vowed to strengthen security at future public events.