Key takeaways:
- A woman was killed and 16 people were injured when a vehicle struck crowds at Berlin’s Pride festival in Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. Saturday.
- Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul B., described him as linked to Berlin’s Islamist circles and warned the public not to approach him.
- Berlin’s Pride celebrations were canceled after the attack, which German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called “a heinous act” and “an attack on our society.”
German police searched Sunday for a 21-year-old suspect after a vehicle was driven into a crowd at Berlin’s Pride festival, killing a woman and injuring 16 people in an attack near the Brandenburg Gate.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. Saturday in Tiergarten park, where an LGBTQ+ celebration was taking place after one of Europe’s largest Pride parades had drawn huge crowds to the German capital. Authorities said several people were also reported to have been injured with stabbing weapons.
Police identified the suspect as Abdul B., 21, and released a photo of him. Under German privacy practices, suspects are identified only by the initial of their surname. Police said he is known to authorities and linked to “Islamist circles” or Berlin’s “Islamist scene,” but investigators said they had no information on a specific motive.
“Our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesperson Florian Nath said Sunday.
A wanted notice warned the public not to approach the suspect. “If you encounter the suspect, immediately dial 110! Do not approach him, he may be armed and dangerous!” police said. Authorities described him as slim, about 1.9 meters tall, with black hair, wearing a black hoodie and white pants.
Berlin fire department spokesman Dominik Pretz said three of the injured had life-threatening injuries, eight were seriously injured and five had minor injuries. Police have not publicly identified the woman who was killed.
Authorities said Abdul B. is believed to have injured several people with a vehicle. Investigators also believe one or more people then left the vehicle after it came to a stop. A white vehicle suspected of being used in the attack was photographed inside the police cordon and appeared to have crashed into a tree. CBS News reported that authorities were still trying to determine whether the suspect acted alone, noting that stab wounds suffered by some victims raised the possibility that others were involved, though officials had not confirmed that.
The Pride celebrations were called off around 10:15 p.m., shortly after the attack, and further events were canceled. Earlier Saturday, the annual Christopher Street Day parade had moved through Berlin with floats, live music and crowds advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as “a heinous act” and “an attack on our society.” On X, he wrote: “They wanted us to treat each other with kindness and tolerance. This is an attack on our society.” He said the attack would be investigated with the “utmost severity,” adding in another post that Germany is “open and freedom-loving—and we will preserve and defend that.”
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was shocked by “this cowardly, abhorrent attack on people celebrating peacefully.” Berlin’s governing mayor, Kai Wegner, called it an “attack on our free and cosmopolitan society.”
“Berlin is the city of freedom – and our freedom has been horribly attacked today,” Wegner wrote on social media. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends.”
Alfonso Pantisano, the Berlin state government’s Queer Liaison Officer, wrote that Saturday “should have been a day of joy, visibility and freedom.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Pride event stands for “freedom, dignity, and equality,” adding: “Every person should be able to live, love, and stand up for their rights without fear.”
Be First to Comment