A car drove into the CSD crowd in the Tiergarten. One woman was killed and at least 29 people were injured. A manhunt is underway for 21-year-old Abdul B., who is suspected of having used a machete.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD), the city’s annual Pride event, on Saturday. At around 10 p.m., a car drove into the crowd near Potsdamer Platz. According to police, one woman died at the scene and 29 others were injured, several of them seriously. Three people remain in critical condition.
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Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU) spoke at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, confirming that 29 people had been injured, including several with serious injuries.
Police said several people were struck and run over before the vehicle crashed into a tree. The suspect got out of the car and fled the scene.
Berlin police have since announced that they had identified a suspect who they said is "known to the police" and "believed to be associated with Islamist circles."
Police have released a photo of the suspect and named him as 21-year-old Abdul B.
According to the news agency dpa, he was reportedly released from juvenile detention in May. Reports by BILD indicate the prior offenses involved grievous bodily harm and robbery-extortion. It remains unclear whether the suspect was actually driving the vehicle involved in the incident.
Police advise against approaching the wanted individual or making direct contact as he may be "armed and dangerous.". Anyone with information should immediately call the police emergency number, 110.
Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the man attacked people with a machete after exiting the vehicle. Several people sustained stab wounds.
Following the attack, police cordoned off a wide area. Berlin’s Tiergarten park was also cleared, and thermal imaging cameras were used to search for the perpetrator.
However, based on the current state of the investigation, authorities believe the suspect is no longer in the vicinity of the crime scene. Is there an accomplice? It remains unclear whether the wanted man was actually behind the wheel of the van and to whom the white vehicle belonged. The van, which was heavily damaged in the attack, has been seized by investigators and is now undergoing forensic examination.
Furthermore, investigative authorities are examining whether another person might have been involved in the attack.
"What a despicable act in Berlin," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote in a statement published on social media.
"Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world were celebrating peacefully at Christopher Street Day. They wanted us to treat one another with kindness and tolerance," he said. "This is an attack on our society".
The Pride parade was cancelled after the incident.