Manhunt continues for suspect Abdul Ballout
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Sunday identified Abdul Ballout as the suspect in the attack and characterized the event as an “Islamist terrorist attack” during a news conference near the site of the incident in Tiergarten Park.
“Everything we have seen so far indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist terrorist attack,” Dobrindt said. “We know that the suspect, Abdul Ballout, is on the run.”
“This is a crucial point, because it means all police forces are engaged in a major manhunt,” he added.
Ballout, 21, is accused of driving a vehicle into a crowd at Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday, killing one person and injuring at least 16 people. Police said one or more people appeared to have exited the vehicle after it rammed into the crowd. Multiple people also sustained stabbing injuries, according to authorities.
Dobrindt said there was evidence Ballout supported the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, and had a criminal conviction in May. Police called for help in tracking down Ballout, a German citizen, but asked members of the public not to approach or have direct contact with him because he may be armed and dangerous.
“We are dealing here with a suspected perpetrator, who had previously drawn attention to himself through a high volume of criminal offenses, radicalization and affiliation with the Islamist scene,” the minister said.
Police representative Florian Nath said the search was “proceeding at full speed.” He added, “We still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events or his role in the crime itself.”