The attacker at the Berlin Pride parade had attended deradicalization courses

Abdul Ballut, who is wanted in connection with the attack on the Christopher Street Day Pride parade in Berlin on July 26, had previously come to the attention of law enforcement for planning a terrorist attack. According to BILD, in 2025 he attempted to travel to Syria but was detained in Lebanon and returned to Germany as a German citizen.

In May 2026, a court in Berlin’s Tiergarten district sentenced Ballut to one year and ten months in prison for planning a serious crime against national security. The prosecution, which had sought a harsher sentence of two years and ten months, appealed the verdict. While the appeal was pending, the suspect remained free but was under police supervision, including phone tapping, and was required to report to his probation officer weekly.

According to WELT, Ballut also began a deradicalization program. He voluntarily attended counseling sessions on June 15 and July 9, and the next of his 26 scheduled sessions was set for the day immediately following the attack.

After the attack, investigators found Ballut’s phone in the damaged van. Police are currently conducting an active manhunt for him across Europe and warn that he may be armed and poses a high risk.

Source: BILD

In central Berlin, during the “Berlin Pride” event, a car plowed into a crowd of people. One person was killed in the incident, and at least 16 others were injured. 

As a reminder, a plane crash occurred in the German town of Handerkes in the state of Lower Saxony—a light aircraft crashed into a residential building and pierced its roof. At the time of the crash, no residents were inside the house, so there were no casualties on the ground.

A year after a major train crash in Germany, investigators determined the cause of the tragedy. The disaster, which occurred on July 27, 2025, and claimed the lives of three people, was caused by a landslide following heavy rainfall. Among the victims were also Ukrainian citizens.