Terror in Berlin as Member of the Religion of Peace Slams Van Into Pride Festival

AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

A man rammed a van at high speed into a Pride festival in Berlin, killing one and injuring 29 others. 

We may never know the motive, of course. But apparently know the who, and that man was unsurprisingly a known wolf who had been identified as an Islamist terrorist, yet he was still freely roaming the country. 

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But, perhaps, he was just out on a Saturday night drive and lost control of the vehicle, right? Still, Berlin police are investigating the attack as a potential act of terror for some reason. 

I first heard of the attack last night, before the police had publicly identified the man, who is still on the loose, and as with everybody else on X, I had a pretty good idea of what the motive was. It wasn't hard to guess, although I admit that I was surprised that the police had already connected the man to an Islamist terror cell well before the attack occurred. 

How naive I was. However cynical you are, it is hardly enough

The main suspect in a car-ramming attack that left at least one dead in Berlin had previously been investigated for planning a terrorist attack, a person familiar with the investigation said.

Authorities are on the hunt for Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent and the main suspect for the attack at the margins of the Christopher Street Day LGBTQ festival at the center of the German capital.

A white van plowed into a crowd of people who were leaving the festival shortly before 10 p.m. local time on Saturday in what authorities are treating as a terrorist attack.

The small van later crashed into a tree and was found abandoned. Authorities said the attacker then attacked passersby with what appeared to be a machete. While some of the 29 wounded were seriously injured, none were in life-threatening condition, authorities said on Sunday.

Police called on the public to report any sighting of Ballout, described as about 6 feet tall, slimly built, with black hair and wearing a black hoodie and white pants.

Ballout had been detained in Lebanon and extradited to Germany before being convicted of a crime in Berlin in May, the person familiar with the investigation said.

Ballout was was only handed a suspended prison sentence after his May conviction, a decision prosecutors had appealed, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told journalists in Berlin.

“We are dealing with a suspect that stood out because of the large number of offenses he committed, because of his radicalization, and through his membership in the Islamist scene,” Dobrindt said, without spelling out the charges Ballout faced.

“These many crimes and this radicalization led to a conviction and to a one-year and 10-months prison sentence that was suspended,” he added.

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Read that again. Germany had this man arrested in Lebanon for planning a terrorist attack, extradited him to Berlin, tried and convicted him, and he was given a ridiculously light sentence, which was suspended. And then released onto the streets. 

The authorities already knew a lot about the terrorist who killed and maimed Pride participants in Germany yesterday. 

They knew that:

-he travelled to Lebanon to join the Islamic State in 2025.

-he was arrested and returned to Germany.

-he was held in pre-trial detention until May 2026.

-he was ordered to undergo a de-radicalisation programme.

-he was convicted in May 2026 of preparing a ‘serious act of subversive violence’, but given a suspended sentence rather than jail.

-he was known to police as a member of Islamist circles in Berlin.

-police received a recent tip-off that he had posted a photograph of himself posing with a weapon & searched his apartment.

Despite all this, he remained at liberty to attack innocent people.

Has there ever been a time in history when governments were so unwilling to protect their citizens?

Apparently, the judge thought he wasn't a sufficient danger. He was told to attend de-radicalization classes instead. Tomorrow he was to attend his third class, but he decided to skip it and instead go on the run from the police after killing one person and injuring 29 others. 

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You can't make this up. No wonder Europeans are fantasizing about vigilante justice. It's the only kind of justice they can hope to get, as horrible as that is. The state has abandoned them. 

Guys, the details of the latest jihadist attack in Europe are psychotic. 

Abdul Ballout was born in Berlin, but he left Germany for Lebanon. 

Germany identified him as an Islamist threat, so they had him arrested in Lebanon and FLEW HIM BACK TO GERMANY to put him on trial for plotting terror attacks. 

He was convicted and sentenced for terrorism offences in May 2026 but released on time served.

By July 2026 he was back on the streets. 

German authorities told him to attend de-radicalisation counselling sessions. 

He responded by carrying out a jihadist terrorist attack on a pride parade.

I wonder how many of the victims are fans of Queers for Palestine and have COEXIST bumper stickers on their cars? 

I guess a lot, given how the event organizers responded. They are warning the bigoted white people not to be hateful to Muslims. Islam is the religion of peace and all that. 

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The Norm MacDonald joke is being played out before our eyes, as it so often is these days. Whenever an Islamist commits an act of terror, everybody in the transnationist crowd rushes to embrace Muslims and warn that we shouldn't be bigoted. 

That is, of course, why these attacks will continue into the indefinite future, and why Islamists will be able to continue streaming into Western countries despite all the evidence that this is a horrific policy. 

Now let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming of attacking Jews for all the problems in the world. And remember, Muslims are the real victims who face discrimination every day. 

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Remember to vote against the AfD in the upcoming elections in Germany. As we all know, they are extremists!

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John Stossel 9:00 AM | July 26, 2026
Ed Morrissey 8:00 PM | July 25, 2026
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