A man believed to have carried out an "Islamist terror attack" during Berlin Pride has been shot dead by police.
Armed officers shot Abdul Ballout, 21, a German citizen with dual Lebanese nationality, after he reportedly lunged at them with a knife in Spandau, a western suburb of the German capital.
Ballout was wanted by police after a white van drove into a crowd of people near Tiergarten Park just before 10pm on Saturday, July 25, where revellers had gathered to celebrate the city's Pride festival.
One woman was killed and at least 29 others were injured. German authorities say several of those were injured in a separate stabbing attack following the vehicle ramming.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told press that evidence suggested it was an "Islamist terror attack".
He said: "We are dealing with a suspected perpetrator, who had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offences, radicalisation and affiliation with the Islamist scene."
The vehicle was found abandoned in Tiergarten after appearing to have crashed into a tree.
An extensive manhunt was launched across the German capital and detectives have asked witnesses to send in photographs or videos that may help with the search.
Thousands of officers, as well as helicopters and thermal imaging cameras, have been deployed.
Police spokesman Florian Nath said on Saturday: "The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed."
He added that "we still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the incident as a "despicable act".
He wrote on X: "Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world were celebrating peacefully at Christopher Street Day.
"They wanted us to treat one another with kindness and tolerance. This is an attack on our society."
Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner said "it is an attack on our free and open society".
He added that the Christopher Street Day Pride event was attacked in the "most brutal way".
"Berlin is the city of freedom - and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today,” he said.
"My thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends."
