A white vehicle crashed into a crowd attending the Berlin Pride event near Tiergarten park on the evening of July 25, killing one woman and injuring between 14 and 29 people, several critically [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The event, Christopher Street Day, was held near Brandenburg Gate and was canceled following the attack [8, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 6, 7].

The vehicle, described as a small van or SUV, crashed after hitting a tree inside Tiergarten park and was found abandoned [1, 2, 11, 7]. Shortly after, several people were injured in a stabbing attack related to the incident [2, 3].

The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent with known links to Islamist extremist circles and a prior criminal record for radicalization and preparing violent acts [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, “We are dealing with a suspected perpetrator, who had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offences, radicalisation and affiliation with the Islamist scene.” He added the suspended sentence for the suspect was incomprehensible given the risks [3, 4].

Ballout had traveled to Lebanon in 2025 to join Islamic State and was imprisoned there before returning to Germany [3, 4]. The attack occurred shortly before 10 p.m. local time on July 25 [2, 5, 7].

Police launched a large manhunt with helicopters and thermal imaging, expanding the search across Berlin [8, 2, 7]. On July 26, Ballout was fatally shot by police during an attempted knife attack in the Spandau district, ending the manhunt [3, 4].

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said, “Berlin is the city of freedom—and our freedom has been horrifically violated today.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as Islamist terror and stated, “These extremists have no place in our society.” Both pledged thorough investigations and security reviews [3, 4, 6, 7].

The number of injured varies between sources, ranging from at least 14 to 29 people hurt [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Some were critically wounded, while others suffered less severe injuries.

Authorities are reviewing why Ballout, with his extremist background and suspended sentence, was not incarcerated before the attack [4]. The Berlin Pride celebration remains canceled since July 25.