July 28, 2026, 4:47 p.mJuly 28, 2026, 4:48 p.m
Expression of mourning for the fatality and those injured after the attack on the Berlin CSD.Image: keystone
Abdul B. drove into a crowd in the Tiergarten on Saturday evening on Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD), injuring many people and one woman even lost her life. Now new details about the assassin are known: According to information from “Time” Two of his cousins fought for the so-called “Islamic State” (IS).
Die Zeit relies on information that Lebanese investigators shared with their German colleagues. Abdul B. was arrested in Lebanon in 2025 on suspicion of terrorism. According to an investigation report that was later shared with the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), he is said to have had contact with suspected IS cadres via Facebook Messenger.
He is said to have asked them to help him travel to Syria, where he wanted to fight for IS himself. In the chat, Abdul B. claimed “that he had been recommended by his two cousins, the Lebanese Abu Bilal, who died in the ranks of IS, and Muhammad, who is currently imprisoned in Iraq.”
After an investigation, Lebanese investigators confirmed that the two named were the sons of Abdul’s aunt. Her husband is a notorious figure of international jihadism and has radicalized young men from England for years – including his two sons.
It is unclear whether Abdul B. knew his two cousins personally. However, he appears to have been ideologically close to the IS fighters: According to media reports, investigators found a video confessing his allegiance to IS on his cell phone. (cpf)