German federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that investigators discovered a video on the phone of the Berlin Pride attacker, Abdul Ballout, in which he pledges allegiance to the ISIL armed group. The video was recorded on Saturday, the same day Ballout drove a rented minivan into a crowd at the festival, killing one person and injuring 31.

Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen with Lebanese roots, was shot dead by police on Sunday after he attacked officers with a bladed weapon. The discovery of the video provides a potential motive for the attack, linking it to the extremist group.

Authorities stated the person in the video was masked, but Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt expressed confidence that it was the suspect. "We assume the person in the video is the suspect," Dobrindt commented. Investigators are continuing to analyze the suspect's mobile phone and data storage devices found at his home, which have also reportedly revealed links to ISIL.

The implications of this finding suggest a premeditated act of terrorism, potentially inspired or directed by ISIL. The focus now shifts to understanding the extent of Ballout's radicalization and any potential network he may have been connected to.

According to reports, Ballout had a history of concerning behavior and was known to the criminal justice system. Prosecutors revealed that he traveled to Lebanon in 2025 with the intention of joining ISIL in Syria and had made contact with individuals believed to be members of the group. A Lebanese judicial source confirmed that Ballout had been sentenced to three months in jail there for belonging to ISIL.

Upon his return to Germany, Ballout was detained and, in May, was convicted by a juvenile court of "planning a serious act of subversive violence." He received a suspended jail sentence of one year and 10 months for this offense.

The rented minivan used in the attack crashed into a tree in Berlin's Tiergarten park. Reports indicate that alongside the phone, a sheath for the machete believed to have been used by the attacker after exiting the vehicle was also found in the van. This detail, first reported by the German newspaper Bild, further substantiates the account of the attack's progression.

As investigations continue, authorities are working to ascertain the full scope of Ballout's radicalization and any possible foreign influence or direction. The incident has raised renewed concerns about homegrown extremism and the challenges faced by law enforcement in preventing such attacks.