On Saturday night, 25th July, a Pride celebration in Berlin turned tragic after a white van drove into a crowd near Tiergarten park, killing one person and injuring at least 16 others. Some of the injured were reported to be in life-threatening condition. The incident forced organisers to cancel the remaining Pride celebrations and a concert near Brandenburg Gate just hours after the event had begun.
BREAKING: At least one person is dead and more than a dozen others are injured after a van plowed into a crowd during Berlin's annual LGBTQ+ pride event.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 25, 2026
A manhunt is now underway for one or more suspects as authorities evacuate the area and investigate the attack. pic.twitter.com/HwjudLeouJ
Police search for identified suspect
Berlin police said they have identified a suspect who has not yet been arrested. Police spokesperson Florian Nath said the man is known to authorities and has ties to Islamic circles in the German capital. However, he said investigators still do not know the suspect’s motive, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the incident. Police said the search for the suspect is continuing at full speed.
According to police, the van entered Tiergarten park at around 10 p.m., close to the route where the Pride march had passed earlier. It struck several people before crashing into a tree. While police did not reveal how many officers reached the scene, they said a large police force responded. More than 2,200 officers had already been deployed across Berlin to secure the Pride parade and other LGBTQ+ events.
Investigation is underway
Police spent the night questioning witnesses and collecting evidence. They are also looking into reports that some victims may have suffered stab wounds along with injuries from the crash, but officials said it is too early to confirm whether those reports are connected. Authorities have asked anyone with photos or videos from the scene to share them and have opened a crisis hotline for people searching for missing family members or friends.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the incident as an attack on the city’s free and open society and said police and security agencies would continue their investigation around the clock.
Earlier, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for Berlin’s Pride parade, known as Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s biggest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Around 80 floats had taken part before the event was stopped around 10:15 p.m. Witness Julian Miethig, who had attended the celebrations, said he saw emergency vehicles rushing to the area and called it “a dark day for the community.”
