A festive night at one of Europe’s biggest Pride events turned deadly in Berlin after a car drove into a crowd near the city’s Gay Pride celebrations, killing one person and injuring 16 others as police launched a manhunt for a suspect they believe has links to Islamist circles.
The incident brought Christopher Street Day — a major annual Pride gathering that draws hundreds of thousands — to an abrupt halt, sending revellers rushing out of Berlin’s Tiergarten park as emergency sirens cut through the evening.
Police told AFP that the suspected vehicle was later discovered abandoned a few hundred metres from the centre of the festivities in Tiergarten.
Authorities said a search operation spanning the capital was under way on Sunday, involving helicopters and police officers brought in from several German states.
A suspect has been “identified” but had not been arrested, police spokesman Florian Nath said, adding that investigators believe the person has links to “Islamist circles”.
An eyewitness near the main Pride stage by the Brandenburg Gate told AFP that the celebrations stopped suddenly when police began clearing the area.
“Go home, please,” officers told people as the crowd streamed away from the park while emergency crews treated the injured nearby.
The attack took place shortly before 10:00 pm local time yesterday.
“A vehicle entered the Tiergarten park and hit several people,” police said.
One person was killed and 16 were wounded, including three with life-threatening injuries, Berlin fire department spokesman Dominik Pretz said.
About 30 additional people received treatment for shock at the scene.
The car suspected to have been involved in the incident was found in the Tiergarten park
Nath said investigators had identified a suspect but not yet made an arrest, and reiterated that police believe the suspect has ties to “Islamist circles”.
After the vehicle was found abandoned in the sprawling Tiergarten park, the search was expanded to “the whole city,” he said.
The vehicle involved appeared to be “akin to a minivan or small SUV”, according to Nath.
The incident immediately stirred memories of a string of deadly attacks in Germany in recent years and renewed a heated national discussion over security.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said those responsible would be brought to justice.
In a statement, Merz called the incident a “horrific act” and said he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt were being kept up to date as the investigation progressed.
Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner spoke to the media near the scene
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner denounced what he described as a brutal assault on “a gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin”.
More than 2,000 police officers had been deployed to secure the event.
Following the attack, reinforcements from across Germany joined the operation, supported by helicopters fitted with thermal-imaging cameras.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported numerous emergency vehicles lined up along a nearby road and a large tent set up as police searched the area.
Earlier Saturday, hundreds of thousands had joined Christopher Street Day, the name used in Germany for the event, which ranks among Europe’s largest Pride celebrations.
The march concluded near the Brandenburg Gate, where concerts have been held since Friday.
