1 dead, 16 hurt in Berlin Pride attack; suspect has ties to Islamic ‘circles,’ police say
1 dead, 15+ hurt after car drives into crowd in Berlin
One person is dead and at least 15 people are injured after a car drove into a crowd gathered near an LGBTQ+ parade in Berlin, according to authorities.
The man suspected of driving into a group of people gathered at a famed Berlin LGBTQ+ event on Saturday night has ties to Islamic "circles" and was known to police before the deadly attack.
What we know:
One person died and at least 16 others were injured when a van crashed into the crowd at Berlin’s Pride parade, one of the biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations in Europe. Law enforcement called off the rest of the celebration and a planned concert as firefighters and ambulances rushed to help. Some of the people who were hurt were reported to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
A suspect has not been taken into custody, but a spokesperson for the police department said they are searching for the individual "at full speed" and that measures were already underway against the individual.
Emergency personnel and police work near the scene where one person was killed and around 15 injured after a car is believed to have hit the crowd on the outskirts of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin, on July 25, 2026. (Photo by RALF
What we don't know:
While Berlin law enforcement indicated investigators identified a suspect, the police department did not release his name. The police spokesperson, Florian Nath, told reporters the suspect was from the German capital and "is known to us as a member of the Islamic circles here in Berlin," but did not elaborate on those ties.
The backstory:
The Pride celebration, which is known in Germany as Christopher Street Day, drew hundreds of thousands of people to Berlin on Saturday for the parade and other LGBTQ+ events.
The attack came around 10 p.m. on Saturday and happened in Tiergarten park, which sits next to the route of the Pride parade earlier in the day. The white van turned into the park and struck several people before eventually crashing into a tree.
What they're saying:
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described what happened as "an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society."
Wegner assured the community that police would be working around the clock on their investigation, saying that "following a peaceful and vibrant Pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner."
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.