Berlin attacker Abdul Ballout reportedly acted as prayer leader in pre-trial detention

After the attack on the Berlin CSD, an Iranian was temporarily arrested. However, according to the investigations so far, there is insufficient evidence that he was involved in the act. It is established that he has been required to leave the country for two years.

CSD attacker Abdul Ballout reportedly tried to influence fellow inmates in pre-trial detention, according to "Bild." Despite being temporarily separated from other inmates, he later maintained contact with like-minded individuals. More in the live ticker below.

The suspected CSD attacker Abdul Ballout is dead. In the attack on Saturday, a woman was killed. 29 people were injured, some seriously. Investigators assume an Islamist terrorist attack.

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Live Ticker Updates

07:00 AM – Tuesday, July 28 — Abdul Ballout reportedly acted as prayer leader and missionary in prison

The suspected CSD attacker Abdul Ballout allegedly tried to influence fellow inmates religiously during his pre-trial detention. According to the "Bild" newspaper, citing internal justice documents, the then 21-year-old regularly prayed, urged other inmates to pray, and actively sought contact with like-minded individuals.

A risk assessment reportedly states that Ballout tried to "take on the role of a prayer leader and missionary."

According to the report, the prison management had Ballout separated from other inmates as early as December. From January 2026, his appearance was "strongly Salafist-influenced." Pre-trial detention "did not result in any recognizable departure from the extremist stance." Nevertheless, since February, Ballout is said to have had contact with fellow inmates again.

Even after his release, Ballout reportedly maintained contact with former fellow inmates and presented himself as a "mentor or religious leader." On June 19, he allegedly called inmates from outside the juvenile detention center in Berlin and prayed with them, reports "Bild."

In May, the 21-year-old German of Lebanese descent was sentenced by a juvenile court at the Tiergarten District Court to 22 months in juvenile detention – among other things, for preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.

06:32 AM – Tuesday, July 28 — SPD inquires about possible NRW connections

The SPD in the Düsseldorf state parliament is inquiring about possible connections of the suspected attacker to North Rhine-Westphalia. In a small inquiry to the state government, the Social Democrats want to know, among other things, whether the suspect had contact with Islamists in NRW.

SPD deputy parliamentary group leader Lisa Kapteinat said: "Currently, there are no concrete indications of a connection between the suspect and NRW. However, the publicly known circumstances of the Berlin attacker's radicalization show at least parallels to the Solingen attacker." That is sufficient reason to clarify possible contacts, stays, or digital connections to North Rhine-Westphalia.

The opposition is asking the state government, among other things, whether the Berlin suspect was in the same chat groups as local Islamists. The SPD also wants to know whether there are connections to Islamist organizations or groups in North Rhine-Westphalia.

01:08 AM – Tuesday, July 28 — Green politician Gallina: Intensively review the attack

The chairwoman of the Conference of Justice Ministers, Anna Gallina, responds to proposals for legal tightening. "After this terrible Islamist attack, from my perspective, an intensive review must come first before we draw legal policy conclusions from it," said Gallina, who is also Hamburg's Senator for Justice (Greens), to Funke Media.

"Quick demands may look striking, but they do not do justice to the situation without intensive prior analysis of the situation." There is already a broad set of instruments available in Germany on the part of law enforcement authorities and courts. "So first of all, it needs to be clarified whether these instruments were also applied," Gallina said. "The challenges of correctly assessing a threat situation will always exist, but..."