A van reportedly drove into the crowd at Berlin's LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations on Saturday night, killing one person and injuring at least 16 others before crashing into a tree, prompting authorities to cancel the event. According to Berlin police, a suspect was identified but not yet arrested. The man has ties to far-right fundamentalist circles in the city.
Spokesman Florian Nath said the man was known to police, but officers had no information yet about his motives or exact role in the attack.
Authorities said some of the victims are facing life-threatening injuries. Police confirmed that a white van entered Tiergarten Park at around 10.00 pm, near the Pride march route, striking several people before hitting a tree.
The incident took place despite the deployment of nearly 2,200 police officers since Saturday morning.
While some witnesses told officers that multiple people suffered injuries in the aftermath of the attack, others claimed there were stab wounds, though this remained unverified according to police officials.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said the attack followed "a peaceful and vibrant Pride parade", calling it a brutal assault on "our free and cosmopolitan society" and pledging full confidence in the police investigation.
Authorities appealed for witnesses to share photos or videos, and the city opened a crisis hotline for those seeking missing friends or relatives.
Hundreds of thousands had gathered for Christopher Street Day, one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, which had proceeded peacefully for hours with around 80 floats before the rally near Brandenburg Gate was halted at about 10.15pm, interrupting a live performance.
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