Azernews.Az

German law enforcement authorities are facing mounting criticism after failing to prevent a deadly vehicle and machete attack near Berlin's annual Pride parade, despite the attacker having been known to security agencies, AzerNEWS reports via Euronews.

The suspect, Abdul Ballout, was shot dead by police on Sunday evening following a city-wide manhunt. Authorities located him in an allotment complex in Berlin's western Spandau district.

According to prosecutors, Ballout killed one woman and injured 29 others after driving a van into a crowd before attacking people with a machete near the Pride celebrations.

The attack has prompted renewed questions over Germany's handling of individuals considered security risks.

Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, had a criminal record that included convictions for bodily harm, extortion and robbery. Prosecutors also said he had attempted to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Last year, Ballout traveled to Lebanon in an unsuccessful attempt to reach Syria and join IS. He was arrested by Lebanese authorities, spent three months in prison, and was later returned to Germany.

In May, he was convicted of planning a serious act of subversive violence and sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison. However, the sentence was suspended after the court took into account the time he had already served in Lebanon and pre-trial detention, as well as his admission of guilt and claims that he had renounced IS.

Security experts have questioned why Ballout was not placed under closer surveillance following his release.

"The danger from this man was underestimated," Rolf Tophoven of the Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy said.

He added:

"It was known that he was an Islamist, and the tragedy is precisely that everything was known."

Tophoven described the decision to allow Ballout to remain free as a "fatal mistake."

At Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, residents have continued to gather at a makeshift memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.

Among them was Alfred Kubitz, who argued authorities should have intervened sooner.

"I do think, at least to some extent, that the state didn't respond properly, because after all, they were dealing with a criminal. They should have stepped in earlier," he said.