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