One person was killed and at least 16 others injured, some with life-threatening wounds, when a white van drove into crowds near Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day Pride parade on Saturday evening, forcing police to cancel the event and a concert near the Brandenburg Gate around 10pm local time.
According to Berlin police, the vehicle drove into Tiergarten Park, next to the route the parade had passed along earlier, and struck several people before crashing into a tree. Police said the area had more than 2,200 officers deployed since Saturday morning to protect the event. Officers said they were also investigating accounts that some victims may have suffered stab wounds, though it was too early to draw conclusions.
Berlin police published an image on X of a 21-year-old suspect in a public appeal for his arrest. Police spokesperson Florian Nath said officers were conducting intensive witness interrogations through the night.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged swift investigation and punishment described what happened late Saturday evening as “an attack on our society.”
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said the attack followed a peaceful and vibrant parade and called it an attack on Berlin’s tolerant and free society.
