Flash News

Road accidents increase 6.8% in the first half of the year; Tirana leads

"No to the accelerated procedure", Bardhi: We will not vote on the agreement with the US without familiarizing ourselves with the text

Balluk's investigations are not closed, SPAK extends the deadline by another 3 months

Protest organizer Arben Kola is escorted and dragged away by police

Tomatoes, eggs and peppers, the "arsenal" of protesters for MPs in front of the Parliament

Bota

Terrorist attack with one dead and several injured in Berlin, perpetrator's father speaks out: My son was "brainwashed" by ISIS

Politiko 2026-07-27 18:05:26

Terrorist attack with one dead and several injured in Berlin, perpetrator's

The father of Abdul Ballout, the 21-year-old suspected of carrying out the terrorist attack during the Berlin Pride Parade, has stated that his son was radicalized and "brainwashed" into embracing the ideology of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization.

In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, the 64-year-old, who lives in Lebanon, said he had spoken to his son on the phone just hours before the attack. "He told me he missed me and that he would have liked to be with us in Lebanon at that time," he confessed.

The 21-year-old's father denied any connection of the family to ISIS ideology, stressing that they belong to the Shiite faith.

"We are Shiites, we do not support him. My son was radicalized and embraced the Sunni movement," he said.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the attack continues. German police have released the Iranian national who was initially detained as a suspect who may have been in the vehicle used in the attack.

According to Der Spiegel, the evidence gathered by investigators did not confirm the suspicions against him, so he was released from custody. However, authorities have not yet been able to determine whether Ballout acted alone or had accomplices.

According to the investigation, Abdul Ballout had long been radicalized and had attempted to join the terrorist organization Islamic State on several occasions. He was arrested in Lebanon in 2025, and in May 2026 he was sentenced in Berlin to one year and ten months in prison for planning a serious act of violence against the state. After his release from prison, he was placed under supervision and could be included in a deradicalization program.

Investigators suspect Ballout rented the white van he drove into the crowd of Pride Parade participants in Tiergarten Park. A cellphone was also found inside the vehicle, which authorities say was linked to the 21-year-old.

Due to suspicions that this is an Islamist-motivated attack, the case has been taken under investigation by the German Federal Prosecutor's Office.

The attack killed one woman and injured 29 others. According to authorities, after crashing into a tree, Ballout got out of the vehicle and attacked several passersby with a machete before fleeing the scene.

He was later located in a community garden in the Spandau neighborhood of Berlin, where he was shot dead by police after attacking officers during the operation to arrest him.

Latest news