Tens of thousands of people were out celebrating at a Pride event when a car drove straight into the crowd late on Saturday.
The suspected perpetrator was named by first name and was wanted by German police. On Sunday evening, German media reported that police shot and killed him in a raid in Spandau, a Berlin district located a little over a mile from Tiergarten, where the attack occurred.
The police confirm the information and say that the suspect was shot dead in a residential area in Spandau.
"According to current findings, he allegedly rushed towards our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which the police used their firearms," the Berlin police wrote in a statement on X.
"He died at the scene."
21 years old
The suspected perpetrator has been identified as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, and his parents are from Lebanon, according to Tagesspiegel. He is previously known to police and has moved in Islamist circles, according to police spokesman Florian Nath.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at a press conference that the attack is suspected to be an Islamist terrorist attack. The perpetrator is also suspected of having used a machete in the attack.
The country raised the risk level for new terrorist attacks on Sunday.
Increased number of injured
Dobrindt also said that the number of injured has increased to 29. Charité Hospital announced on Sunday afternoon that four of the injured are being treated in intensive care.
No one is in life-threatening condition, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
He condemns the act and warns of the consequences:
These attacks have only one goal: to divide our society and deprive us of our openness and freedom.
He says that Germany and the responsible authorities must "act decisively but with consideration."
The festival was canceled
It was around 10 p.m. when a van drove into a crowd in Tiergarten Park. The vehicle then crashed into a tree and the person or people in the vehicle fled the scene. One woman has been confirmed dead and 29 people have been injured, at least three seriously.
Swedish Viktor Fabricius, 44, was standing a short distance away in a concert area when the incident occurred.
They stopped the concert in the middle of a song and asked us to evacuate immediately. Everything went very smoothly. I am impressed with how the organizers prepared for such events and how quickly the police worked.
At the same time, Viktor says that it was an unpleasant experience.
There were an incredible number of people outside so it could have been ten times worse.
The festival in Tiergarten and at the concert area next to the Brandenburg Gate, called Christopher Street Day and which gathered over 100,000 participants, was interrupted and Sunday's event was canceled.
Facts: Fatal car accidents in Germany
Germany has suffered several deadly attacks where vehicles have driven into crowds. Some of the most serious include:
Leipzig, May 2026. Two people lose their lives and over 20 are injured when a car drives into a central pedestrian street at high speed. The police arrest a 33-year-old man with mental health problems.
Munich, February 2025. A 24-year-old Afghan citizen drives into a demonstration march. A woman and her two-year-old daughter are killed. The 24-year-old admits to Islamist motives.
Magdeburg, December 2024. Six people die and more than 200 are injured when a man drives into a crowd at a Christmas market. A Saudi citizen is sentenced to life in prison. He is described as a far-right conspiracy theorist.
Trier, December 2020. Five people, including a father and his nine-week-old baby, lose their lives when an alcohol-impaired 51-year-old man drives his SUV onto a pedestrian street.
Berlin, December 2016. Twelve people lose their lives when an IS supporter hijacks a truck and plows right into a Christmas market.
