4 things to know about Berlin pride terrorist Abdul Ballout
2. Deradicalization program said Ballout misrepresented himself
The court had ordered Ballout to attend a deradicalization program for high-risk offenders, The Associated Press reported. The Berlin-based Violence Prevention Network, which works with people at risk from right-wing extremism and Islamism, evaluated Ballout twice.
A third and final examination was scheduled for Monday, Cornelia Lotthammer, the nongovernmental organization’s public relations director, told AP.
The staff could tell that Ballout was pretending to cooperate and make it seem like he was not an extremist in need of deradicalization, and were prepared to tell the court he was not a good fit for the program.
“Normally high-risk people are very convinced of themselves and of their ideology, and they would propagate it within those sessions,” Lotthammer said. “And then it’s easier to work with them. This is not a typical incident.”
“They could see that he is a problem. I mean, everybody knew that he was a high-risk person,” she said. “But still, if he does not work together with our colleagues, then we can’t do anything.”
According to Lotthammer, no one would have said of Ballout, “‘He’s not a threat, just let him go.’”
Ballout did not show any signs that he was planning an attack, Lotthammer said, adding that the staff would have contacted law enforcement if they had any hint of danger.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
