Berlin Pride Attacker Got 22-Month Suspended Sentence Before Killing 1, Exposing Court Data Lapse
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Jul 31
Berlin Pride Attacker Got 22-Month Suspended Sentence Before Killing 1, Exposing Court Data Lapse
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Jul 31
Summary
22 months in prison were imposed on Abdul Ballout in mid-May for preparing a serious act of violence, but the Berlin court suspended the sentence and released him on six months of preliminary probation.
Weeks later, the 21-year-old drove into Berlin Pride crowds in Tiergarten, killing one woman and injuring 31 people; police shot him dead the next day during an arrest attempt.
Germany's Joint Counter-Terrorism Center had classified Ballout as dangerous, but that assessment never reached the Berlin court — a gap that may have kept him out of prison.
The case has triggered a fight over juvenile criminal law, which was applied because Ballout was 20 when he committed the earlier offense, even though he was 21 at sentencing.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to examine reforms, while criminologists and opposition politicians argue harsher penalties for young extremists can backfire and do not necessarily improve security.