Lebanese German identified as suspect in Germany ramming attack: What happened?

3^min

Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

On Saturday, a Pride march was taking place in Berlin when a small truck drove into the crowd, striking several participants.

One woman was killed, and 29 people were injured. The driver fled the scene and disappeared before police found him inside a cabin, where he was killed during an operation.

But the question remains: Who was he?

His name was Abdul Ballout, 21. He was of Lebanese origin from southern Lebanon but was born and raised in Germany.

He dropped out of school after the 10th grade and worked several jobs, including as a security guard and a driver.

His father described him as kind, emotional and “having the heart of a child,” saying his son had been brainwashed.

“Our family is Shiite and does not support ISIS, but my son was sympathetic toward Sunnis, although he considered the group to be bad,” his father said.

This is Abdul Ballout’s story, but it does not end there.

Before the Berlin attack, there were already questions surrounding his path.

Abdul Ballout visited Lebanon in July 2025 and, according to LBCI information, he was planning to join ISIS in Syria before Lebanese authorities detained him on charges of belonging to the group.

The Military Court sentenced him on Oct. 15, 2025, to three months in prison. He was later released on bail of LBP 800,000 and deported to Germany.

There, in May 2026, he was convicted of preparing a violent and dangerous act that threatened state security.

However, the implementation of the sentence was postponed, and Abdul Ballout was placed under the supervision of an officer responsible for monitoring conditional releases.

According to German media reports, he was expected to soon attend a rehabilitation and counter-extremism session, but he carried out the attack before attending the meeting.

As a result, German authorities are facing intense criticism over failing to imprison him and allowing him to remain free.

Ultimately, Abdul Ballout’s roots are Lebanese, but his actions remain an individual responsibility and do not represent Lebanese people in Germany or the nature of relations between the two countries.