Berlin Pride Attacker Had ISIS Pledge Video On Phone
German federal investigators recovered a video from the Berlin Pride attacker's phone showing a masked figure pledging allegiance to Islamic State before the ramming attack that killed one and injured 29.
According to Brussels Signal, the federal prosecutor’s office confirmed the existence of the recording, which was filmed on July 25—the same day as the attack on revelers celebrating Christopher Street Day in the Tiergarten district. The video shows a figure speaking in Arabic with his face concealed.
Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent born in Berlin, is believed to be the man in the footage. Authorities recovered his phone from the delivery van he used to plow into crowds shortly before 10pm that evening. A machete sheath was also found in the vehicle, though the blade itself remains missing.
After the ramming attack, Ballout exited the van and assaulted bystanders with a bladed weapon. A Polish woman visiting the city with her daughter was killed in the violence. The following evening, police shot Ballout dead in an allotment complex in the Spandau district after he charged at officers while armed.
Federal prosecutors have taken control of the investigation and are examining whether Ballout had accomplices. An Iranian man detained on the night of the attack was subsequently released without charge.
Released Despite High-Risk Assessment
The attack has exposed serious failures in Germany’s judicial system. Just 10 weeks before the deadly assault, a juvenile court in the Tiergarten district sentenced Ballout to one year and 10 months for preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state and distributing Islamic State propaganda.
Despite the court’s own written judgment acknowledging that it could not be expected Ballout would commit no further offences, he was released under a deferred probation arrangement available only under juvenile law. He was required to attend a deradicalisation programme as a condition of his release.
State criminal police had classified Ballout as a Gefährder—Germany’s designation for individuals assessed as capable of politically motivated violence—and maintained camera surveillance on his residence. However, some monitoring measures were relaxed after producing no immediate signs of an imminent attack.
Merz and Ministers Call for Tougher Measures
Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the target was not chosen at random and that the assault was directed at Germany’s free society, not just the queer community. He vowed the nation would defend its freedom and that sympathy alone would not suffice as a response.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has advocated for expanded use of electronic tagging for individuals classified as potential violent extremists.
Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), went further, calling for such individuals to be prosecuted under adult criminal law rather than the more lenient juvenile system. He also proposed that dual nationals among terror threats should be stripped of their German citizenship and deported.
The debate over citizenship revocation has reopened in Germany following the attack, as Brussels Signal reports, with conservative politicians demanding more robust action against radicalized individuals who exploit legal protections intended for rehabilitation.
With information from Brussels Signal
