BERLIN, Germany: The Berlin Pride attack suspect displayed “fake cooperation” during deradicalisation screening, and counsellors planned to tell authorities he appeared unfit for the program, its communications director said on July 27.
Cornelia Lotthammer of the Berlin-based Violence Prevention Network said staff evaluated Abdul Ballout twice. A third and final assessment had been scheduled for July 27.
Lotthammer told CBS News that staff considered the 21-year-old deeply radicalised and believed he was providing answers that evaluators wanted to hear. However, she said they detected no signs of an imminent attack.
The Berlin Pride attack occurred near the closing celebration for Christopher Street Day in Tiergarten at about 10 pm local time on July 25 and July 26.
Authorities suspect Ballout drove a rented vehicle into the crowd before attacking people with a machete. One Polish woman died, and at least 29 people suffered injuries.
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Berlin police located Ballout in an allotment complex in Spandau on July 26. Police said he approached special-forces officers with a bladed weapon before they opened fire, killing him at the scene, according to an official police statement.
Berlin prosecutors told CBS News that Ballout shared Islamic State propaganda in 2024 and travelled to Lebanon in 2025, intending to reach Syria and join the group. Lebanese authorities arrested and imprisoned him.
A Berlin juvenile court convicted Ballout in May of preparing a serious act of subversive violence and other offences. The court suspended his one-year-and-10-month sentence after considering his detention and claimed rejection of the Islamic State ideology.
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Police also searched his Schöneberg home on July 3 over a suspected weapons offence. Officers found only a toy gun, and authorities dismissed the case.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said officials must determine whether authorities could have prevented the attack and improve protections against dangerous offenders.
