The man accused of killing one and wounding 29 others after ramming his van into an LGBT pride event was previously released from prison on probation after trying to join ISIS and planning a terrorist attack.The 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent with known ties to Islamist groups, was shot and killed by police after being tracked down and confronted on Sunday. Revelations from local authorities that he was not only known by police, but was released from prison on probation after being charged with “preparing a serious act of violence that could endanger the state” have triggered widespread bafflement and sparked wider debate across German society.Ballout had been sympathetic to ISIS for an extended period, posting ISIS propaganda on his social media in 2024. He tried to join ISIS in May 2025, traveling to Lebanon in an attempt to cross over into Syria to join the group. He was arrested by Lebanese police in July 2025 and sentenced to three months in prison, on charges including incitement to religious and sectarian conflict. He returned to Germany in November, where he was arrested at an airport in Berlin. He was held in pretrial detention until May, when he was sentenced by a juvenile court to a year and 10 months in prison for several offenses, including “preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.”