Berlin Pride attack suspect at large after van, machete rampage leaves one dead

A suspect with alleged links to Germany’s “Islamist circle” is on the run after he allegedly drove a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival and attacked others with a machete in what authorities believe was an Islamic terror attack that killed one person and injured at least 29 others.

German authorities launched an intense manhunt on Sunday for Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese origin who authorities say may be armed and dangerous.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, “Everything we see here indicates that we are facing an Islamic terrorist attack.”

AT LEAST ONE DEAD AND MANY INJURED AFTER VAN FALLED INTO THE CROWD AT PRIDE FESTIVAL; SUSPECT ‘KNOWN BY POLICE’

The minister said the suspect had attracted the attention of the authorities due to his “radicalization and membership in the Islamist circle”, as well as multiple previous crimes.

Dobrindt said Ballout was born in Germany and his mother became a German citizen in 2002, three years before he was born. He said that the suspect had previously received a suspended prison sentence of 1 year and 10 months, but did not disclose what crime he was convicted of.

Police officers stand next to a vehicle that crashed into a tree after driving into a crowd near Berlin’s annual Pride event on Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Police said a white van drove into a crowd in Berlin’s Tiergarten park around 10pm on Saturday and then crashed into a tree. Authorities said the suspect attacked several people with a machete before escaping.

WITNESSES Describe ‘scary’ NYC stabbing as suspect allegedly shouted ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ DURING ATTACKS

According to a statement from the Berlin fire brigade, one woman died, three people suffered life-threatening injuries and eight people were seriously injured. Dobrindt said at least 29 people were injured.

Emergency personnel and police gathered in Berlin in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, 2026, after Christopher Street Day celebrations were cancelled. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The attack occurred a few hundred meters from Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day Pride celebration, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events, but did not occur along the parade route or at the festival’s closing event near the Brandenburg Gate. Investigators said the victims included both Pride participants and others who were in the park.

Organizers halted the celebration shortly after the attack, cutting the live performance and urging people to leave the area.

People stand at 17 June Street after the cancellation of Christopher Street Day in Berlin on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (Fabian Sommer/DPA via AP)

UK Police Say London Synagogue Targeted for Attempted ‘Anti-Semitic Hate Crime’

Berlin police said Ballout had been identified as a suspect but had not been arrested as of Sunday. Police spokesman Florian Nath had previously said the suspect was known to investigators because of his alleged ties to Islamic groups in Berlin.

“The suspect is known to the police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles in Berlin, and our search for this person continues at full speed,” Nath said, according to the Associated Press. “We still have no information about his specific motives, the exact sequence of events or his role in the crime.”

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt speaks to the media near the scene of a car crashing into a crowd at the Pride Parade in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Police searched various locations in Berlin throughout the night and into Sunday, including an apartment in the Schöneberg district, but were unable to find the suspect.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

The manhunt continues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.