Berlin Pride attacker known to authorities, should have been in custody - suspended

Abdul Blout, who carried out a ramming attack at the Berlin Pride parade from an Islamist motive, was known to authorities with a criminal record and a suspended prison sentence. He was shot dead at the scene. Germany's interior minister assesses no further danger, but criticism of the suspended sentence continues.

Abdul Blout, 21, carried out a ramming attack at the Berlin Pride parade yesterday (Sunday, July 26, 2026) from an Islamist motive and was shot dead at the scene. According to a statement by the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office and the Higher Regional Court, Blout was known to authorities with a long criminal record since his youth. In 2022 he was convicted of assault and extortion; in 2019 he hit a student in a schoolyard; in 2020 he robbed headphones. He developed a desire to join ISIS, tried to travel to Mauritania via Turkey, and in May 2025 traveled to Lebanon intending to reach Syria, where he was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison. After his release he returned to Germany and was arrested at the airport. In May 2026 he was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison for offenses including preparing a serious violent act endangering the state, but the sentence was suspended for an unclear reason. He also published illegal ISIS propaganda on Instagram in June 2024 and received a six-month probation period. The suspension of the sentence has drawn harsh criticism: Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said he was left speechless, and Interior Minister Dobrindt asked how a sentence could be suspended for someone identified as a potential threat. In early July 2026, Blout was suspected of possessing a weapon in his apartment, but a search only found a toy gun and proceedings were dropped. Berlin police said this morning that none of the injured are in critical condition.