Although the figure in the recording wore a mask, officials conclude it features the 21-year-old German suspect Abdul Ballout, according to a federal prosecutors spokesperson.

Forensic pathologist van at an allotment garden complex in the Berlin suburb of Spandau after a known Islamist, suspected of ramming a minivan into a crowd near Berlin's annual Christopher Street Day Pride parade on Saturday evening, was shot and killed in a police operation, in Berlin, Germany

(photo credit: REUTERS/CHRISTIAN MANG)

ByREUTERS

JULY 28, 2026 16:46

The individual suspected in a fatal car ramming incident close to Berlin's Pride event this past weekend had recorded a video on his mobile device declaring loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist organization, according to German prosecutors on Tuesday.

Although the figure in the recording wore a mask, officials conclude it features the 21-year-old German suspect Abdul Ballout, according to a federal prosecutors spokesperson.

He declined to indicate the exact date when the video was made.

Ballout, who was fatally shot by law enforcement on Sunday, is accused of driving a vehicle into groups of people in Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday night, resulting in the death of a Polish woman in her sixties and harm to 29 others.

Germany declares changes to security measures following discussion on suspect's probation

Germany's interior minister revealed a revamp of security protocols on Monday in response to the vehicle incident, which sparked intense discussion regarding the reason the suspected driver was released under the oversight of a probation officer instead of remaining incarcerated.

The accused had been found guilty and given a prison sentence in May for planning a major act of violence that threatened the state.