Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early on July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities.
| Photo Credit: AP
A van slammed into people gathered for Berlin’s famed LGBTQ+ event on Saturday night (July 25, 2026), killing one person, injuring at least 16 others and prompting police to call off the celebrations and a concert in the German capital hours after they had begun.
Police said some of the victims had life-threatening injuries. In a post on X, police called on everyone to leave the site of the event immediately as ambulances and firefighters attended to the victims.
“We are conducting an intensive search for possible suspects,” police officer Florian Nath said on a short video released on the Berlin police account on X.
Suspect had ties to Islamic ‘circles’ in German capital
Berlin Police, who have identified a suspect, say he has ties to Islamic “circles” in the German capital.
Spokesperson Florian Nath told reporters that measures were under way against the suspect and that “our search for this person is proceeding at full speed.” He did not identify the suspect by name but said that he was already known to police and is from Berlin.
“Based on the investigators’ initial findings, we have already identified a suspected perpetrator,” Mr. Nath said. “He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin.”
White van hit people in Tiergarten park
According to police, a white van had driven into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m., which is next to the route that the pride march had passed along earlier, and hit several people before colliding with a tree. Police could not say how many officers had been deployed to the scene but that it was “definitely a lot of police.”
Overall, more than 2,200 police officers have been on duty in Berlin since Saturday morning (July 25, 2026) to protect the pride parade and other LGBTQ+ events in the city.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed shock, saying that “following a peaceful and vibrant pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner.”
“This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society,” Mr. Wegner said. “I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be working around the clock to investigate.”
Meanwhile, authorities called on possible witnesses to come forward and share with police any video or photos they might have taken at the scene of the attack. The city also activated a crisis hotline for people missing friends or family members.
Iconic pride event called off
The pride event in front of the city’s Brandenburg Gate, near Tiergarten, was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.
Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours, dancing to loud music, and cheering the around 80 floats that participated in the parade.
Julian Miethig, who had attended the LGBTQ+ party at the Brandenburg Gate earlier, said he had just wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that “something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.”
He said he went to Tiergarten and was shocked that something like this could have happened at Berlin’s pride celebrations. “It’s a dark day for the community,” he said.
Published – July 26, 2026 07:11 am IST
