He had been convicted of terrorism, was under police surveillance, and was participating in a deradicalization program. Yet Abdul Rahman Ballout was still able to carry out the terrorist attack at the Pride festival in Berlin. It has now been revealed that he belongs to one of Europe’s most notorious jihadist families – with close family branches in the Swedish city of Borås.

The man who carried out the terrorist attack at the Pride festival in Berlin had long been well known to the German security authorities. Abdul Rahman Ballout had an extensive criminal record, had been convicted of robbery, assault, and extortion, and had also attempted to join the terrorist organization Islamic State.

According to German media, Ballout traveled to Lebanon with the intention of joining ISIS, but was instead arrested by Lebanese authorities and imprisoned there. When he later returned to Germany, he was arrested immediately upon arrival at the airport and, as recently as May this year, convicted of terrorism-related offenses.

Despite his conviction, he was released on the condition that he participate in a deradicalization program. He attended the first two sessions but failed to appear for the third. Instead, he carried out the terrorist attack.

At the same time, Ballout was under extensive surveillance. According to reports, police had, among other things, a surveillance camera directed at his residence.

Part of a well-known jihadist family

New information from the German newspaper Die Zeit, based on information provided by Lebanese authorities, indicates that Abdul Rahman Ballout was not an isolated extremist. He belongs to a family with long-standing ties to the international jihadist movement.

Two of his cousins are said to have been members of Islamic State and reportedly recommended him to the terrorist organization. One of them was later killed, while the other is reportedly serving a prison sentence in Iraq.

Even more notable is the connection to the Islamist preacher Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad. According to the Lebanese information, Ballout’s aunt is married to Bakri, who during his years in the United Kingdom became one of Europe’s most influential Islamist agitators.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bakri openly expressed his support for al-Qaeda, and his organization, Al-Muhajiroun, has over the years been linked to a large number of jihadists and terrorist attacks. Among other things, individuals connected to the network have been associated with the 2003 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and the July 2005 bombings of London’s public transport system.

Bakri was later sentenced to a lengthy prison term in Lebanon for terrorism-related activities and was released in 2023.

Connections to Sweden

The family’s network also extends to Sweden. One branch of the family is based in Borås, where several family members traveled to Syria during the 2010s to join jihadist groups. This has now been revealed by Per Gudmundson in 100%.

In August 2013, two Swedish-Lebanese brothers from Borås were killed in Syria. One carried out a suicide attack, while the other was killed in the ensuing firefight. A third brother had already been killed the previous year, and a fourth was later reported dead as a suicide bomber in Lebanon.

Several members of the extended family have attracted attention over the years for jihadist activities. A relative in Borås is also reported to have been involved in a Swedish jihadist website around fifteen years ago. According to previous reports, he is a nephew of Sheikh Omar Bakri.

When the two brothers from Borås were killed in Syria, Sheikh Omar Bakri spoke publicly and described the family’s commitment to armed jihad.

Long-standing interest from the security services

Given the family’s extensive ties to international Islamist terrorism, it is believed to have been of interest to the Swedish Security Service for many years.

The latest developments in Germany also raise questions about how effective the monitoring of known extremist networks really is. Despite the fact that Abdul Rahman Ballout had been convicted of terrorism-related crimes, was participating in a deradicalization program, and was under intensive surveillance, he nevertheless succeeded in carrying out a terrorist attack.

Gudmundson concludes by pointing out that no comparable attack linked to the Swedish branch of the family has taken place.

Yet.