Germany Pride event attack: Van rams crowd in Berlin, killing one and injuring 16; probe underway

Berlin: Berlin's Christopher Street Day celebrations ended in tragedy after a van ploughed into people gathered near the Pride event, leaving one person dead and at least 16 injured. Police have launched a major investigation, but said the motive and those responsible remain unknown.

Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in the German capital on Saturday for Christopher Street Day, one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations. The parade had passed peacefully through the city before the incident unfolded near Tiergarten park, close to the Brandenburg Gate, where the main celebrations were taking place.

Police said a white van drove into Tiergarten park shortly before 10 pm local time and struck several people before crashing into a tree. Emergency crews, including ambulances and firefighters, rushed to the scene.

One person was killed and at least 16 others were injured, with police saying some victims had sustained life-threatening injuries.

Authorities later found the suspected vehicle abandoned in Tiergarten park. Officers launched an intensive search for those responsible.

"We are conducting an intensive search for possible suspects," Berlin police officer Florian Nath said in a video posted on X.

Police spokesperson Alexander Klute said investigators had not established any motive and could not yet identify the perpetrator or perpetrators.

Pride celebrations cut short

The attack forced organisers to end the celebrations several hours earlier than planned. The main event near the Brandenburg Gate was called off at around 10.15 pm, while a live performance on stage was interrupted.

Police urged people to leave the area immediately and avoid routes passing through Tiergarten as emergency services responded to the incident.

An eyewitness near the main stage said the crowd complied with police instructions and dispersed calmly. The concert programme had been scheduled to continue until midnight.

Earlier in the day, the atmosphere had been festive as participants marched through Berlin, danced to music and cheered around 80 floats taking part in the parade.

Julian Miethig, who had attended the celebrations at Brandenburg Gate, said he had been heading to an after-party when a friend told him that "something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances."

After reaching Tiergarten, he said he was shocked that such an incident had occurred during Berlin's Pride celebrations.

"It's a dark day for the community," he said.

Leaders condemn attack as investigation continues

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Sunday that those responsible would be punished. In a statement, he said he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt were receiving regular updates on the investigation into what he described as a "horrific act".

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner also condemned the incident, saying a "gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin has been most brutally attacked".

"Following a peaceful and vibrant Pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner," Wegner said.

"This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society. I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be working around the clock to investigate."

The incident comes as Germany remains on alert following a series of deadly vehicle and knife attacks in recent years.

Among them was a stabbing near Berlin's Holocaust Memorial in February 2025, in which a Spanish tourist was seriously injured. Last month, Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen was sentenced to life imprisonment for driving a rented SUV into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg in 2024, killing six people and injuring more than 300.

Germany's deadliest vehicle attack in recent years remains the December 2016 truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market, in which 12 people were killed.