What you need to know
- One person was killed and three others suffered life-threatening injuries after a car plowed into a crowd at one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride events.
- Police have identified a suspect linked to the ‘Islamic scene in Berlin’
- No arrests have been made, but search operations have been launched and over 2,200 personnel have been deployed as part of the police operation
- The area around the Tiergarten in central Berlin remains closed
At least one person was killed and 16 were injured, “some seriously”, after a vehicle plowed into a crowd near Berlin’s annual pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), on Saturday night, police said.
“We believe a vehicle entered Tiergarten Park and struck several people,” police said on social media.
Berlin’s CSD is one of Europe’s largest pride events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. It attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year.
What do we know about the events of the Berlin CSD event?
police spokesperson florian nath said a suspect had been identified who was known to police and “is believed to be linked to the Islamic scene in Berlin.”
It was not clear whether there were other culprits. No arrests have been made yet.
Of the 16 injured, three suffered “life-threatening injuries”. Nath told reporters at the scene.
He said more than 2,200 personnel were involved in the police response, including officers from Hamburg and other federal states.
The vehicle in question is a white minivan or compact SUV, he said.
DW journalists at the scene in Berlin said police officers armed with machine guns were patrolling the streets of the German capital.
Police said Sunday morning that the Tiergarten was closed and that the evacuation of the area was “slowly winding down.”
“We are now piecing together the facts based on the evidence found at the scene. The scope of the search covers the entire city,” Nath said. “We need to use the daylight tomorrow to examine the evidence carefully.”
Berlin mayor, Chancellor Merz condemn ‘horrible’ act
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, who visited the scene, described the incident as “an attack on our free and open society.”
“AAfter a peaceful and colorful CSD, a tolerant and peaceful Berlin assembly was attacked in the most brutal manner. Berlin is a city of freedom and today our freedoms have been attacked in the most terrible way,” he said on X.
“We will not let our way of life and our way of living together be taken away from us,” Wagner said in comments to reporters at the scene.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also condemned it, calling it a “horrible act”.
In a statement, Merz said he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt would ensure that “this horrific act is thoroughly investigated and punished.”
Pride parade participants told to ‘please go home’
Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin on Saturday to advocate for tolerance and diversity, culminating in concerts at the Brandenburg Gate.
The program was stopped at around 10:15 pm and the performance of a band was interrupted. Authorities urged people to “please go home” and avoid routes through the Tiergarten.
The CSD parade ends on 17 June Street, which runs from Berlin’s Tiergarten to the Brandenburg Gate. The gate has been the venue for concerts since Friday.
Berlin’s CSD was first held in 1979, making it Germany’s oldest pride event. Its name comes from Christopher Street – the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City.
CSD has since grown from a small protest to a major component of the city’s cultural and political calendar.
History of car collisions in Germany
Germany has seen several car collisions at major public events in recent years.
In 2016, a man of Tunisian origin drove a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people, the deadliest Islamist attack in Germany’s post-war history.
In 2024, a man drove his car into a busy Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, killing at least two people and injuring more than 60. The perpetrator was a Saudi-born atheist who held anti-Islamic and far-right beliefs.
Earlier this year, two people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig. Investigators treated the incident as a violent incident and the suspect, a German national, was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Edited by: Zack Crellin
Don’t let algorithms hide news. If you trust our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google click here And press the “Star” or “Favorite” button, so you always see our verified news first.