Central Council of Muslims condemns Pride attack as “contrary to fundamental values of Islam”

©Toni Reed via Unsplash

Police had been monitoring the perpetrator of the attack on the Berlin Pride parade for weeks via a camera installed near his home. According to Bild, his behavior was deemed “unremarkable,” after which the surveillance was scaled back for budgetary reasons—a decision that is now facing heavy criticism.

Based on the camera footage, Abdul Ballout left his home shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. Just over an hour later, a van plowed into participants in the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin at high speed, killing one person and injuring 29 others. The 21-year-old suspect fled after the attack but was shot and killed by police on Sunday evening in Spandau, in the western part of the city.

Solid evidence against the main suspect

DNA traces found in the van match the DNA of Ballout, a German of Lebanese descent. The public prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday that no other DNA traces were found in the vehicle, making it “highly likely” that he was behind the wheel. Investigators found a video on his phone in which he swears allegiance to the Islamic State. German officials have labeled the attack as Islamist terrorism.

Long list

The case raises pressing questions in Germany about how to deal with potential extremists. The police released figures showing that 410 people are currently considered an Islamist threat, in addition to 65 far-right and 17 far-left potential threats. The authorities emphasize that this list is constantly changing.

Revoke citizenship?

Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced stricter measures. He wants to restrict the freedom of movement of potential perpetrators as much as possible and has asked Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to quickly draft a proposal on the matter. Merz also does not rule out the possibility that, in certain cases, the citizenship of suspects with dual nationality could be revoked.

The Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) strongly condemned the attack. “Where people are violently attacked because of their identity or way of life, the fundamental values of our society are under attack,” the organization stated. The ZMD emphasized that violence against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity can never be justified and that extremist ideologies exploit Islam to spread hatred.

Political pressure to tighten security measures is mounting rapidly following an attack that has deeply shocked Germany.

©Toni Reed via Unsplash - illustrative image of a Pride event.