German federal prosecutors say investigators have recovered a video from a mobile phone in a rented minivan showing the suspect in the Berlin Pride attack pledging allegiance to ISIL, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul Ballout, died after police shot him during the weekend incident in central Berlin’s Tiergarten park, where officials report a 65-year-old Polish woman was killed and 31 other people were injured.
Video Evidence and Investigation Details
Investigators recovered the mobile phone inside the rented vehicle used to drive into festival crowds on Saturday, according to statements from the federal prosecutor’s office. The video itself was recorded on the day of the attack, according to authorities. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated in televised comments that officials assume the masked person in the recording is the suspect. Police also located data storage devices containing links to ISIL at Ballout’s home, according to the interior minister.
The German newspaper Bild first reported that a machete sheath was found alongside the phone in the van. Authorities believe Ballout used the weapon to target pedestrians after the van crashed into a tree. Officers subsequently confronted and shot the suspect on Sunday, when officials stated he attacked police with a bladed weapon.
Suspect’s Prior Criminal Record and Travel History
Ballout was a German citizen with Lebanese roots who was already known to the country’s criminal justice system, according to Berlin prosecutors. Prosecutors stated that Ballout travelled to Lebanon in 2025 with the intention of crossing into Syria to join ISIL, making contact with several presumed members during the trip. A Lebanese judicial source told the AFP news agency that a court in Lebanon sentenced Ballout to three months in jail for belonging to ISIL.
Upon returning to Germany, authorities detained Ballout. A juvenile court subsequently convicted him in May of planning a serious act of subversive violence, handing down a suspended jail sentence of one year and ten months, according to Berlin prosecutors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did the video recovered from the van show?
According to German federal prosecutors, the video shows the suspect, Abdul Ballout, pledging allegiance to the ISIL armed group. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that authorities assume the masked individual in the recording is Ballout.
What was the suspect’s background with law enforcement?
Berlin prosecutors confirmed that Ballout had traveled to Lebanon in 2025 to join ISIL and served a three-month sentence there for group membership. A German juvenile court convicted him in May of planning a serious act of subversive violence, issuing a suspended sentence.
How many casualties resulted from the Berlin Pride attack?
The attack killed a 65-year-old Polish woman and injured 31 other people when a rented minivan plowed into festival crowds in central Berlin’s Tiergarten park.
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