Berlin Pride alleged attacker was unwilling to deradicalize, expert tells DW

Published 29 July 2026 · europe

The alleged Berlin Pride killer showed no willingness to deradicalize, according to the organization that attempted to counsel him. DW spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer, director

The alleged Berlin Pride killer showed no willingness to deradicalize, according to the organization that attempted to counsel him. DW spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer, director of the Violence Prevention Network, the court-appointed NGO handling the case of 21-year old Abdul B. Days before he allegedly attacked Berlin’s LGBTQ+ parade, Lotthammer’s team had already decided he was unfit for counselling. She says a court could have decided to send him to deradicalization training in prison. Abdul B., a German-born citizen, had been convicted for acts of extremism, including attempting to join the so-called Islamic State.

In May 2026, a Berlin court sentenced him to almost two years in prison, but released him on preliminary probation. On July 25, he allegedly drove a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations and then attacked people with a blade, killing one person and injuring 29 others. A day later he was tracked down and shot dead by police. DW’s Pablo Foley Elias spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer about Abdul B.’s case, the causes of extremism, and how it needs to be addressed.

Chapters 00:00 Attack on Berlin’s Pride march exposes flaws 00:30 Expert says alleged killer not fit for deradicalization 00:52 Introducing Cornelia Lotthammer, Violence Prevention Network Director 01:19 Experts seeing trend of younger extremists 02:08 Extremists recruiting new generation in Germany 03:00 Radicalization fostered by instabilities 03:24 Extremist groups exploiting vulnerabilities 04:13 Toxic masculinity propagated in Islamist and right-wing ideologies 04:58 Similarities between extreme ideologies 05:30 Earlier extremists could only meet offline 06:01 Radicalization made easier online 06:45 Anti-radicalization also happening online 07:47 Extremist groups offer a

sense of belonging 08:41 Deadly attack on Berlin Christopher Street Day Parade 09:04 Alleged killer attempted to join so-called Islamic State 09:26 Berlin juvenile court released alleged attacker 10:32 Alleged attacker sent to deradicalization training 10:46 Experts said Abdul B. not interested in changing 11:15 Court could have taken him back into custody 12:14 Abdul B.’s case an exception 12:33 Case highlights need for prevention For more news go to Follow DW on social media ► ►TikTok ► ► Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie Subscribe