Berlin Pride event: One dead, 16 injured after vehicle drives into crowd

At least one person has died and 16 others were injured, some seriously, after a vehicle drove into a crowd near Berlin's annual Pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), on Saturday night, according to police as reported by Deutsche Welle. The incident occurred in the Tiergarten park, adjacent to the route of the earlier Pride march.

Police said they believe a vehicle entered the Tiergarten park and hit several people, according to a statement on social media. A white van or compact SUV was found abandoned at the scene with heavy damage, and a manhunt was launched for the driver.

Coverage comparison

Reporting from Deutsche Welle and The Hindu — World provides a consistent picture of the incident's basic facts: a vehicle struck a crowd at the Berlin Pride event, leaving one person dead and at least 16 injured. However, there are slight discrepancies in the reported number of injuries. One Deutsche Welle report said 15 people were injured, while later updates and The Hindu's report cite 16. Deutsche Welle's later reporting also noted that three of the injured suffered life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was identified by police, who said the individual was known to them. According to Deutsche Welle, the suspect is believed to be associated with the Islamist scene in Berlin. The Hindu also reported that the suspect had ties to Islamic 'circles' in the German capital. A Deutsche Welle report citing the DPA news agency said the suspect was released from juvenile detention in May, and Bild newspaper reported that state security has 'extensive information' on the suspect related to 'religious ideology' and links to radical Islam.

Key claims

  • One person was killed and at least 16 others were injured when a van drove into a crowd at Berlin's Pride event, as reported by multiple outlets.
  • The suspect has been identified and is known to police, according to police statements reported by Deutsche Welle and The Hindu.
  • The suspect is believed to be associated with Islamist circles in Berlin, as reported by Deutsche Welle and The Hindu.
  • More than 2,200 police officers were on duty in Berlin to protect the Pride parade and other LGBTQ+ events, as reported by The Hindu and Deutsche Welle.
  • Berlin's annual Pride event was canceled following the incident, as reported by one Deutsche Welle article.

Reactions

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, who visited the scene, described the incident as "an attack on our free and open society," according to Deutsche Welle and The Hindu. "After a peaceful and colorful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way," Wegner said on X.

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was "deeply shaken" by the Berlin Pride car ramming, calling it a "heinous attack on people celebrating peacefully," as reported by Deutsche Welle. Chancellor Friedrich Merz also condemned what he called a "horrific act," according to a separate Deutsche Welle report.

Britta Hasselmann, parliamentary group leader for the Green Party, labeled the ramming "an attack on the entire country, on our free and liberal constitutional state and everything that defines it," as reported by Deutsche Welle.

Police response

Police spokesperson Florian Nath said the search for the perpetrator was extended to the entire city and that the investigation was ongoing, according to Deutsche Welle. "We are now piecing together the facts based on the evidence found at the scene," Nath said. "We need to use daylight tomorrow to meticulously examine the evidence."

The Tiergarten remained closed off early Sunday morning, and the operation to clear the area was "gradually winding down," according to police statements reported by Deutsche Welle.