Berlin pride event canceled after vehicle drives into crowd - DW.com

What the report says

DW reported that Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride celebrations were halted on Saturday night after a white minivan or compact SUV was driven into people near the Tiergarten in the German capital. Police said at least one person, described by a spokesperson as a woman, died at the scene and 16 others were injured, including three with life-threatening injuries. The event was called off around 10:15 p.m., and people attending concerts near the Brandenburg Gate were told to leave and avoid the Tiergarten area.

According to DW, police identified a 21-year-old suspect, Abdul B., who they said was known to authorities and believed to have links to Berlin’s Islamist milieu. No arrest had been made at the time of the report, and police warned the public not to approach him, saying he could be armed and dangerous. More than 2,200 personnel were involved in the response, including officers from other German states, and the search was extended across the city.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called the incident an assault on the city’s free and open society, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the act must be fully investigated and punished. DW noted that Berlin’s CSD, first held in 1979 and named after New York’s Christopher Street, is one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride events and draws large crowds each year.

The report also placed the incident against the backdrop of previous vehicle attacks or rammings at public events in Germany, including the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack and later incidents in Magdeburg and Leipzig.