One Dead, 17 Injured in Vehicle Attack at Berlin Pride Celebration
A van drove into a crowd at Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride parade on Saturday night, killing one person and injuring 17 others. Police identified the suspected driver as a member of Berlin's Islamist scene and launched a manhunt as the event was called off.
The Incident
A van slammed into people gathered for Berlin's famed LGBTQ+ event on Saturday, killing one person, injuring at least 16 others and prompting police to call off the celebrations and a concert in the German capital hours after they had begun. The incident at around 10pm local time (20:00 GMT) on Saturday prompted police to call off the event in the German capital hours after it had begun.
According to initial police findings, a white car struck several people in the city's central Tiergarten Park, near the route of the Pride march, before crashing into a tree, police spokesperson Florian Nath said. Police said some of the victims had life-threatening injuries.
Investigation and Suspect
The suspected perpetrator has been identified as a member of the city's "Islamist scene" but he has not yet been arrested, a spokesman for Berlin police said on Sunday. Bild cited a witness as saying a white van drove into the crowd at high speed and a man then got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The police stated that officers and rescue units were on the scene, and that they were conducting a manhunt for the suspect.
Official Response and Context
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed shock, saying that "following a peaceful and vibrant pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner." "This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society," Wegner said.
Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin on Saturday to celebrate at Berlin's pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day. It's one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours, dancing to loud music, and cheering the around 80 floats that participated in the parade.