(New York, NY)—In the wake of the Islamist terrorist attack targeting participants at Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride event on Saturday, which killed one woman and left dozens more injured, the Counter Extremism Project and CEP Germany send their deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and to Berlin's LGBT community.
According to the Berlin police and the Interior Ministry, the suspect, Abdul Ballout, was previously known to security services for Islamist extremist activity. Two months ago, in May, he was sentenced to incarceration for a period of one year and 10 months for "preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state" but the decision was reportedly “deferred.” A known member of Berlin’s Islamist scene, he had tried to join ISIS last year. He was shot dead by police in the Spandau area of west Berlin on Sunday.
ISIS and other jihadist organizations have long identified LGBT people as legitimate targets. The group's official publications repeatedly justify the execution of gay men and celebrate anti-LGBT violence. As Western security agencies and CEP have long warned, the Berlin attack is consistent with a longstanding ideological pattern in which jihadist extremists regard LGBT communities as symbolic enemies. Pride events are therefore especially vulnerable to these attacks.
Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, Chief Executive of the Counter Extremism Project, said:
"This was an Islamist terrorist attack directed at gay people and comes almost exactly ten years after the similarly motivated attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It is an ideology that is violently inimical to the rights of LGBT people, let alone the principles of equality and individual liberty. Countering Islamist extremism requires confronting the networks, propaganda, and radicalization pipelines. Those who promote these extreme homophobic visions must be pursued and punished."
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, said:
"The perpetrator, Abdul Ballout, was known to authorities and was a part of the Islamist milieu within Berlin, which is quite diverse and ranges from Salafists to Hamas sympathizers. In the past, he attempted to join ISIS in conflict zones, twice including ISIS in Syria. Despite a history of violence and terrorism related crimes, he only received a probationary sentence in May this year. There needs to be a clear-eyed analysis of the various legal frameworks, administrative procedures and security precautions in place to fight terrorism to identify where improvements may be necessary.”
To watch Dr. Schindler’s interview with Deutsche Welle regarding the Berlin attack, click here.