Berlin CSD attack: One dead, 29 injured as police hunt 21-year-old with Islamist ties
A van plowed into a crowd at Berlin's Christopher Street Day celebration on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring 29. The suspect, a 21-year-old German citizen with Islamist ties, remains at large.
The attack
On Saturday, 25 July 2026, around 22:00, a white van drove into a crowd at the Christopher Street Day event in Berlin's Tiergarten, near the Brandenburg Gate. The vehicle, a private van, struck multiple people along Ahornsteig parallel to Lennéstraße before crashing into a tree. The driver then fled on foot. Hundreds of thousands had gathered for the annual LGBTQ+ demonstration under the motto "Haltung ist hot". Organisers immediately halted the event, displaying "Evakuierung" on video screens and urging attendees to go home.
Casualties and emergency response
A woman died at the scene. Fire department spokesman Dominik Pretz initially reported 16 injured: three life-threatening, eight severe, and five light. All seriously injured were taken to hospitals. By Sunday afternoon, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt updated the toll to 29 injured, some with life-threatening wounds. Additionally, around 30 people received psychological care at the site. A police hotline was set up for concerned relatives.
The suspect
Police identified the suspect as Abdul B., a 21-year-old German citizen born in 2005. He has a Lebanese background; his mother was naturalised in 2002. Police spokesman Florian Nath said the man is known to authorities and belongs to Berlin's Islamist scene. According to dpa, he has contacts with the Islamic State. He was released from youth detention in May 2026 after a prior conviction of one year and ten months on probation, against which prosecutors had appealed. As part of his release conditions, he was ordered to attend 26 deradicalisation sessions; he attended only two, with the third scheduled for Monday.
After the van crashed, the suspect allegedly attacked people with a stabbing weapon, possibly a machete, Dobrindt said. Police described him as slim, about 1.90 metres tall, with black hair, last seen in a black hoodie and white trousers.
If you encounter the suspect, call 110 immediately! Do not approach him; he may be armed and dangerous.
Investigation and manhunt
A public manhunt with a photo was launched early Sunday. Police conducted a raid on an apartment in Berlin-Schöneberg around 01:10, with special forces involved and a loud bang reported, but no one was found and no arrest was made. Nath stressed that the exact role of the identified man remains unclear: "We still have no indications of his concrete motives or the exact sequence of events or his contribution to the crime." It is not yet confirmed whether he was driving the van or if there were multiple perpetrators.
- White van drives into crowd at Berlin CSD near Brandenburg Gate, killing one woman and injuring 29.
- Police raid an apartment in Schöneberg; no one found, no arrest made.
- Police announce public manhunt for Abdul B., a 21-year-old with Islamist ties.
- Wanted photo of Abdul B. released to the public.
- Interior Minister Dobrindt calls the attack Islamist terrorism; federal prosecutor takes over the case.
Political reaction
At a Sunday afternoon press conference, Interior Minister Dobrindt classified the act as an Islamist terrorist attack.
We are dealing with a suspect who has been conspicuous in the past due to a high number of crimes, radicalization, and affiliation with the Islamist scene.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig announced that the federal prosecutor (Generalbundesanwalt) will take over the investigation, a step reserved for serious crimes against the state. The suspect remains at large as of Sunday evening.
