News
World
26 July
2026, 1:45pm
Police identify Islamist as suspect in Berlin
Pride attack, seeking his arrest
Kirsti Knolle, Michele Sani and Martin Schlicht
for Reuters
Many
details remain unclear after apparent attack
Manhunt
launched for member of the city's "Islamist scene"
Police
describe white vehicle that crashed into a tree
Eight
seriously wounded, three people's lives at risk
A
suspected perpetrator of the apparent car attack on Pride celebrations in
Berlin on Saturday night 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.
One
person was killed and 17 injured, with some in life-threatening condition,
after the vehicle drove into a crowd near Berlin's Pride celebrations on
Saturday evening, setting off a manhunt for the driver.
"We
have now identified a suspected perpetrator. Measures against this suspected
perpetrator, who has not yet been arrested, are under way. However, this
suspected perpetrator is known to the police as a member of the Islamist scene
here in Berlin," the spokesperson told reporters at the scene.
Hours
after the apparent attack many details remained unclear, but police said the
vehicle struck multiple people after charging into the city's central
Tiergarten park close to the Brandenburg Gate.
"According
to our latest information, the vehicle drove ... into the Tiergarten around
10pm, injuring several people in the process, and then came to a standstill
after hitting a tree here in the Tiergarten," a police spokesperson at the
scene said.
"It
was empty, which is why we are currently working intensively to track down the
perpetrator or perpetrators."
Eight
seriously injured
Among the
17 injured, eight had serious injuries and of those, three were in
life-threatening condition, a fire brigade spokesperson said.
The
police said the vehicle was white, describing it as possibly a car or minivan
or minibus. Tabloid newspaper Bild cited a witness as saying it was a van and
that a man emerged from it and fled on foot.
Hundreds
of thousands of people had gathered peacefully in the German capital for the
annual Christopher Street Day celebrations, one of Europe's largest LGBTQ
events, before the apparent attack brought it to an abrupt end.
A large
number of emergency service vehicles were at the scene.
"It's
one of the worst days for the queer community and a day I personally hoped I'd
never have to experience ... I'm shocked," Julian Methig, who attended the
event, said.
Christopher
Street Day draws hundreds of thousands of people to the German capital each
year. The event commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York and
combines a parade with political demands for equality, inclusion and protection
against discrimination.
First
held in West Berlin in 1979, the event has grown from a small demonstration
into a major fixture of the city's cultural and political calendar. The parade
is the centrepiece but it is accompanied by a wide range of political, cultural
and party events held across the city.
- Reuters
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