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In the wake of the recent violent attack in Berlin near a pride festival, German officials are left to contend with the questions surrounding why suspect Abdul Ballout was free to perpetrate the assault despite his recent conviction related to supporting ISIS.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday wished to know how the violent assault could have been prevented.
“We must do everything to protect people in Germany as best possible from such criminals, from dangerous people who for whatever reason can’t be taken into custody,” Merz said, according to The Associated Press.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told public broadcaster ZDF during an interview that in light of the 21-year=old suspect’s conviction and record of backing the Islamic State, it did not make sense that the man was roaming free.
“You can assume that it certainly would have made sense to put this person in custody,” he noted, according to the report.
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Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner told regional broadcaster RBB in an interview that while he did not wish to question the independence of the court system, when it comes to the matter of this attack, “words fail me.”
The suspect in the recent Berlin attack went to Lebanon last year with the goal of traveling to Syria to join ISIS, according to an English translation of a joint release from the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Berlin Court of Appeal, which noted that the man “was born and raised in Berlin and is a German citizen.”
The attack on Saturday night left one dead and 29 injured, according to the AP, which reported that 21-year-old Abdul Ballout is suspected of plowing a van into people near a pride festival prior to apparently slashing people with a machete in what authorities think was a terror attack.
The suspect was killed by authorities on Sunday.
“According to current information, the 21-year-old allegedly attacked the special forces officers with a bladed weapon, whereupon they used their firearms,” an English translation of a July 26 joint press release from the Berlin Police and public prosecutor’s office noted. “The man suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.”
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Earlier this year, a Berlin juvenile court convicted Ballout of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, and publishing propaganda supporting ISIS.
A news release from the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office and Berlin Court of Appeal said the court sentenced Ballout to one year and 10 months in youth custody before prosecutors appealed.
Officials have stated that the man was granted a suspended sentence, but the news release states: “The decision regarding the suspension of this sentence on probation was deferred for six months pursuant to Section 57 in conjunction with Section 61 Paragraph 1 of the Juvenile Courts Act. The court also imposed various conditions on Abdul B., including placing him under the supervision of a probation officer. The court lifted the existing arrest warrant, as pretrial detention primarily serves to secure the criminal proceedings and does not constitute a prejudicial punishment.”
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The news release noted that the case was not over, given that the appeals process had yet to play out.
“This conviction is not yet legally binding, as the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed an appeal. The Public Prosecutor’s Office had requested a longer, non-probationary sentence for a juvenile and the continuation of the arrest warrant,” the release noted.
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