Terrorist Shot Dead

Father: “He was brainwashed”

For many, it is completely incomprehensible how the alleged perpetrator (on the right in the photo) could still be at large.(Bild: Krone-Collage/EPA/CLEMENS BILAN, Polizei Berlin, Krone KREATIV)

Before Abdul B. (21) plowed into a crowd in a white van, he reportedly spoke on the phone with his father—who can no longer make sense of the world. For Germany’s best-known extremism expert, Thomas Mücke, however, one thing is clear: Given the man’s mental state, deradicalization was no longer possible.

“He said he missed me and wished he were with us in Lebanon right now,” the father told *Der Spiegel*. Shortly thereafter, on Saturday, the 21-year-old is believed to have steered the rented Citroën into the crowd in Tiergarten—which was celebrating Christopher Street Day at the time. One woman was killed, and 29 other people were injured. One day after the devastating attack, the police were finally able to track down the assailant. Shots were fired during the attempted arrest, and Abdul B. did not survive.

For many, it is completely incomprehensible how the suspected perpetrator (pictured on the right) could still have been at large.(Bild: Krone-Collage/EPA/CLEMENS BILAN, Polizei Berlin, Krone KREATIV)

For his father, Tawfik B., his world has come crashing down. He told the news magazine that his son Abdul had most recently been living with his mother and two of his three sisters in an apartment building in Berlin. His parents are divorced, and his father is currently in Lebanon. The 21-year-old reportedly did not have a steady job; from time to time, he worked as a security guard or driver. Instead, he spent an enormous amount of time on his cell phone and watched a lot of TV. He also often slept until late afternoon.

Father and Son Argued Over Beard Length
The 64-year-old categorically denies that the family has anything to do with the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS): “We are Shiites. We do not support the Islamic State.” Abdul, however, is said to have turned to the Sunni branch of Islam.

His father, Tawfik, also recalls differing views on personal appearance. “I didn’t allow him to grow a long beard,” he told *Der Spiegel*. The family finds it inconceivable that Abdul could be behind a horrific terrorist attack. According to his father, his sisters are crying nonstop. His mother is completely distraught. He himself can neither sleep nor eat. “He was brainwashed,” the 61-year-old is certain.

This photo shows the white van after the horrific rampage.(Bild: EPA/FADI YOUSEF)

“He didn’t cooperate”
According to investigators, Abdul B. attempted to join ISIS on several occasions. He was arrested for this reason in 2025, and in May 2026, Abdul B. was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison—for planning a serious act of violence that endangered the state. To help him break away from extremist thinking, the 21-year-old was required to participate in a deradicalization program.

For Mücke, however, it was clear after just two sessions: Abdul B. was unreachable. “We would have needed a shared understanding of the problem. He didn’t cooperate. And he also failed to answer the crucial questions about radicalization, Islamization, and Islam. He basically just talked about trivialities from his everyday life,” explained the director of the Violence Prevention Network in an interview with “Bild.”

“There were no points of entry,” said Mücke. Another session of the so-called ‘clearing phase’ would have been scheduled for today, Monday. According to the expert, however, that wouldn’t have changed anything. During the sessions, Abdul B. remained calm. “He needs to grapple with radical thinking, including the ideologies. He must be willing to recognize his conflict zone, and he must no longer suffer from psychological issues.” He must also be able to handle crises, Mücke explained. “But he didn’t address any of these issues.” The conclusion was that a deradicalization program would not have been suitable for him.