Berlin Pride Alleged Attacker Was Unwilling to Deradicalize, Expert Tells DW | DW News

July 29, 2026 | The alleged Berlin Pride killer showed no willingness to deradicalize, according to the organization that attempted to counsel him. DW spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer, director of the Violence Prevention Network, the court-appointed NGO handling the case of 21-year-old Abdul B. Days before he allegedly attacked Berlin’s LGBTQ+ parade, Lotthammer’s team had already decided he was unfit for counselling. She says a court could have decided to send him to deradicalization training in prison.

Abdul B., a German-born citizen, had been convicted for acts of extremism, including attempting to join the so-called Islamic State. In May 2026, a Berlin court sentenced him to almost two years in prison, but released him on preliminary probation. On July 25, he allegedly drove a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations and then attacked people with a blade, killing one person and injuring 29 others. A day later he was tracked down and shot dead by police.

DW’s Pablo Foley Elias spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer about Abdul B.’s case, the causes of extremism, and how it needs to be addressed.


These people get themselves into a hell of a mess with this because they don't understand the root of the problem: Islam! Forget Islamism! These so-called Islamists are in love with Islam and their prophet. A so-called "Islamist" is merely a devout, practising, fundamentalist Muslim following uncompromisingly the precepts and tenets of his faith. When will these people get it? How many more people will have to be killed before they give up on their airy-fairy notions? And of course, this person was unwilling to deradicalize, for to concede to deradicalization would be tantamount to giving up on his faith!

Germany is never going to be able to solve its problems of homophobia in the Muslim community with this 'artsy-fartsy' outlook and talk! Don't confuse and conjoin the radical problems found in other groups with the "Queerfeindlichkeit' found in the Muslim community, otherwise you will never find solutions to the problem. The radicalization caused by the so-called hyper-masculinity trend is something quite different, and has to be treated quite differently. — © Mark Alexander

Germany’s Leaders Say the Berlin Pride Attack Targeted ‘All of Us’. What Utter Hypocrisy

THE GUARDIAN: The queer community has lost resources and protection due to decisions made by the people now mouthing solidarity in public

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | People at the Brandenburg Gate, which is illuminated with the message ‘Berlin, city of freedom’, 26 July 2026. Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP
It feels like a well-rehearsed script. First come the flowers, then the pious statements. One after another, mainstream German politicians have lined up to claim that the attack on Berlin Pride last weekend was an attack on “all of us”, “our values” and “our society”.

Except it was not. This atrocity in which a van was rammed into the crowd was, first and foremost, an attack on queer people. A vulnerable community that has been fighting for its rights for many decades; that, in recent years and all over the world, has increasingly been targeted by conservative forces.

But, of course, the script is comfortable, because it requires nothing, least of all memory. In Germany, under the centre-right coalition led by the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the queer community has lost more and more resources, spaces and protection, due to decisions made by the very same people who are now expressing solidarity in public.

When Merz made the statement on Sunday that Pride-goers should not be intimidated, and that this attack was intended to divide our society, many queer people and allies wondered: is this the same Friedrich Merz who rejected the suggestion to fly a rainbow flag from the Bundestag during last year’s Pride, with the remark, “The Bundestag is not a circus tent”? » | Fatma Aydemir | Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Even though the Muslim world is replete with gays, just like every other society throughout the world is, Islam itself is extremely homophobic. The precepts and tenets of the faith insist on the adoption of a homophobic stance in order to be considered to be a good, Allah-fearing, prophet-Muhammad-loving and -following, Shariah-abiding, devout Muslim!

When it comes to homosexuality, what you find in many strict Islamic societies is hypocrisy: outwardly the Muslim will be extremely homophobic, but within high walls and closed doors—in secret— a very different picture often emerges. I know this to be so from personal experience. I have witnessed it first-hand. In fact, when I worked in the Middle East as a fresh-faced young man with thick, luxuriant hair—hair is a huge turn-on for very many Muslims, especially young ones—it was often a huge problem for me. At that time, I was still in the closet. To have been out in Saudi Arabia would have been untenable and dangerous. God only knows what would have happened!

I tell you this for one purpose: To show you that I know and understand the mentality of these people. Well! What happened in Germany at the weekend, was not an attack on all Germans; rather, it was a targeted attack on the queer community. Despite homosexuality being widespread in the Muslim community, homophobia is rifer amongst so-called Islamists, or fundamentalist, extremely devout Muslims. So any German politicians failing to recognise this fact is failing the queer community in Germany. The same, of course, applies to politicians in other western countries as well. — © Mark Alexander

Berlin's Queer Commissioner on Fatal Car Ramming Attack on LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration

July 28, 2026 | A man drove a minivan into a crowd of people near Berlin's Pride celebrations on Saturday, killing one person and injuring 29 others. Authorities shot and killed the man during an operation on Sunday. The alleged suspect was identified as Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen. According to authorities, Ballout tried to join the Islamic State in 2025 and was released from prison in May after being jailed for preparing an attack.

"The far right here in Germany is, of course, waiting for an attack like this one to use it in order to highlight that the foreigners are the problem," says Alfonso Pantisano, LGBTQ affairs commissioner for the Berlin state government. "By doing so, they completely forget and avoid to look at how much queerphobia there is in this country in all various levels of structures."


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Berlin Pride Event Attacker Killed in Police Shootout, Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The confrontation with the suspect in what has been described as a likely act of Islamist terrorism occurred as a large-scale manhunt was underway, the authorities said.

Screenshot is from this NYT article. | A day after the attack, grief-stricken people gathered near the Brandenburg Gate. Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press
The police on Sunday evening shot and killed the man suspected of killing a woman and injuring 29 other people near a Berlin gay Pride celebration after he charged at officers with a weapon, the German authorities said.

The man, a 21-year-old German citizen with a family migration history from Lebanon, had been the subject of a protracted nationwide manhunt since the Saturday evening attack. The suspect used a rented van and what appeared to be a machete in the attack, which German officials called an act of Islamist terrorism.

In a brief statement, the police said they had tracked the suspect to an area in a western corner of the city where residents maintain large garden patches. After officers shot him, emergency responders tried to revive him, but he died at the scene, the police said.

The authorities said their investigation into the attack was continuing, even after the death of the man they had singled out as their prime suspect. Earlier in the day, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, and other officials had raised the possibility that more than one person was involved. » | Jim Tankersley | Reporting from Berlin | Sunday, July 26, 2026

Berlin Pride Van Ramming Likely an 'Islamist Terror Attack', Official Says | BBC News

July 26, 2026 | One woman is dead and 29 others are injured after a car was driven into a crowd at a Berlin Pride event on Saturday night. Multiple people were then stabbed with a blade that “might have been a machete”.

Police have identified a suspect named Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese background who was known to police and previously had “committed a number of crimes”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says extremists "have no place in our society", vowing to do everything in the government's power to see justice served.

Massive Berlin Manhunt after Suspected Attack on Pride Parade Leaves One Dead

Jul 26, 2026 | “There were a couple of hundred thousand people attending the Christopher Street Day parade yesterday in Berlin. So it would presumably be fairly easy for somebody to blend in and escape.”

“A full-blown manhunt” involving over 2,000 police officers is underway across Berlin, police have identified the suspect as "Abdul B", an individual known to authorities with links to the city's “Islamist scene”, says Berlin based reporter, Matthew Karnitsching.

One Dead and Several Injured, as Car Driven into a Crowd at Berlin Pride Event | BBC News

July 26, 2026 | One person is dead and 16 others are injured after a car was driven into a crowd at a Berlin Pride event, police say.

An intensive manhunt is taking place in the German capital of Berlin, officers say.

The mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, has called the incident, "an attack on our free and open-minded society"


BBC LIVE on this terror attack here.

Berlin Car Ramming Kills At Least One in Pride Event | ABC NEWS

July 25, 2026 | One person is dead, and at least 15 people are injured after a car ploughed into a crowd near the route of a pride march in the German capital of Berlin.

Authorities have cancelled the LGBT event known as Christopher Street Day at the city’s Tiergarten Park.

German police spokesperson Florian Nath says a search is underway.

Suspect Identified in Deadly New Orleans Truck Attack

Jan 1, 2025 | The suspect in the deadly New Year's truck attack in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, two federal officials tell CBS News. At least 10 people were killed in the attack. CBS News' Anna Schecter has more.

THE TELEGRAPH:

New Orleans terror attack: Terrorist with suspected links to Islamic State rams into New Year’s revellers: Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar ploughed truck into the crowd, killing 15 people and injuring dozens »

BBC:

What we know about the New Orleans attacker: Fifteen people were killed and at least 35 injured after a man drove into large crowds in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the early hours of New Year's Day, authorities have said. »

LE FIGARO :

La Nouvelle-Orléans : qui est Shamsud-Din Jabbar, l’auteur de l’attentat de Bourbon Street ? : Au volant d’une camionnette blanche, l’homme de 42 ans s’est engouffré dans une rue très passante de la ville lors de la nuit du réveillon. Il transportait un drapeau de l’État islamique et des engins explosifs. Des complices sont recherchés. »

ZEIT ONLINE :

FBI sucht Komplizen des Attentäters von New Orleans: Die Ermittler untersuchen nach dem Fund einer IS-Fahne mögliche Verbindungen des Mannes zu der Terrororganisation. Das FBI vermutet, dass er nicht allein gehandelt hat. »

Gunmen on Loose in Vienna after String of Terror Attacks

THE GUARDIAN: Two people dead – including one attacker – after string of incidents in Austrian capital

Police in Vienna were hunting for a group of “heavily armed and dangerous” gunmen on Monday night after a string of shootings described by the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, as a “repulsive terror attack”.

Two people were killed and 15 others – including at least one police officer – were seriously injured in exchanges of gunfire in the centre of the Austrian capital.

One of those killed was an attacker who was shot dead by police. But several other gunmen were still on the loose on Monday night, and Karl Nehammer, the interior minister, warned that they were “heavily armed and dangerous”.

“We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna because these are mobile perpetrators,” Nehammer told broadcaster ORF, urging the public to stay indoors until the all-clear was given.

Shootings occurred in a string of incidents at six locations close to Seitenstettengasse street in the heart of the Austrian capital, a spokesperson for Vienna’s police force told ORF. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Monday, November 2, 2020

NYC Terror: CIA Insider Slams Diversity Visa Program

John Cardillo of TheRebel.media and former CIA Station Chief Scott Uehlinger discuss the progressive policies putting Americans at risk of Muslim terrorist attacks.

Discussion with Dr. Bill Warner on NYC Jihad Attack

Trump Scapegoats Immigrants, Calls to End Diversity Visa Lottery That Brought Saipov to US in 2010

Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the New York City attack that left eight people dead, is an immigrant from Uzbekistan who entered the United States in 2010 through the diversity visa lottery program. Now President Trump has called for a crackdown on immigration, telling Congress to cancel the program. We speak with Yolanda Rondon, staff attorney with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who argues that blaming the visa program “scapegoats the vulnerable, which always happens to be immigrants under this administration.”

Manhattan Attack: Suspect Requests ISIS Flag in Hospital, Trump Asks for Death Penalty

The suspect in Tuesday's deadly attack in New York has been charged with terrorism. Sayfullo Saipov is said to have been inspired by Islamic State, and even requested the group's flag be hung in his hospital room. It seems Donald Trump wants to take matters out of the court's hands, tweeting that rather than a flag, he should be handed the death penalty. The US leader is also open to sending the attacker to Guantanamo Bay

Robert Spencer on Ingraham Angle on the NYC Truck Jihad Massacre

Jihad Watch director Robert Spencer appeared on Fox's Ingraham Angle on October 31, 2017 to discuss the jihad massacre perpetrated by Islamic jihaist Sayfullo Saipov that day in New York City.

Parsons Green: Device Intended to Cause Significant Harm Says PM - BBC News

Speaking to the BBC after chairing a meeting of Cobra, the Prime Minister Theresa May thanked the emergency services for their professionalism and bravery.

She said the police were doing all they could to identify those responsible and bring them to justice but urged the public to continue to go about their daily lives.

The meeting of Cobra has not increased the threat level to critical, Mrs May said.

The threat level is only increased to critical if the security services believe the threat of another attack is imminent. "The threat of terrorism that we face remains severe but by working together we will defeat them," she added.

Londoners Fear ‘We’re Not Safe’

Attackers in Tehran Kill 12 & Injure Dozens More as U.S. Deliberately Worsens Iran-Saudi Relations

The London Bridge Massacre: David Wood

Hat tip: Always On Watch »

No Ma’ame, It’s Not a Perversion of Islam!

Our prime minister has come out yet again with the trope that this is a “perversion of Islam.”

I am sick to death of listening to our so-called leaders’ twaddle about these terror attacks being a “perversion” of the 'peaceful faith of Islam.' How stupid do they think the electorate is? As I tweeted today: ‘Jihad is to Islam what Coke is to cola. It’s the real thing!’ Beat that, Mrs. May! That would be a good soundbite for you!

Our politicians will never get a grip on this problem, because they simply refuse to confront the truth. As I have told you before, this is not a law enforcement issue, which they insist it is; rather, it is a war – a war on the West. The Islamic State has already come out and called for ‘All Out War’ on the West during Ramadan. Islamic State is the real thing, too. Not much different from the version of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia. In fact, one could say it is identical. The only difference is that what is pracatised in Saudi Arabia is state-sanctioned rather than rogue. But the end result is the same.

How many more innocent people are going to have to be killed and maimed before our weak leaders change the narrative and accept that they have made a mistake allowing all these people into the West? When will our politicians come to their senses? They need to stop talking nonsense and start talking sense for a change.

Sad times!

© Mark Alexander

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