One dead, 16 wounded as vehicle rams Berlin Pride; suspect named from Islamist circles
Hundreds of thousands were celebrating Christopher Street Day in Berlin on Saturday evening when a white van drove into attendees at Tiergarten park, killing one and wounding sixteen. Police are hunting a 21-year-old man from Islamic circles.
Attack at the celebration
On Saturday evening, around 22:00, a white van drove into the crowd of hundreds of thousands attending Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride parade in Tiergarten park, near the Brandenburger Tor. The vehicle came to a stop after hitting a tree. Witnesses told the newspaper Bild that the driver then fled on foot. Police reported that several victims had stab wounds and are investigating whether the attacker stabbed people after leaving the vehicle.
Casualties and emergency response
One person was killed and sixteen others were wounded, with multiple victims in life-threatening condition. Emergency services responded on a large scale. Festival organizers abruptly halted the event and displayed the word 'evacuation' on large screens, urging attendees to leave the area calmly. Sirens filled the air as thousands moved away from the scene.
- White van drives into Pride crowd in Tiergarten near Brandenburger Tor
- Vehicle hits tree; driver escapes on foot
- Police order festival evacuation; screens display 'evacuation'
- Police name Abdul B., 21, as suspect; house searched, no arrests
- Suspect remains at large despite large search operation
Suspect: Abdul B.
Police quickly identified a suspect: Abdul B., a 21-year-old man from Islamist circles, according to the newspaper Tagesspiegel. He had been released from youth detention in May 2026. Authorities searched a house near the collision but made no arrests, and the suspect was not located despite a massive manhunt. He remains at large.
Political and public reaction
Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner, described the incident as an attack on the city's open society.
After a peaceful and colorful Christopher Street Day, the gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was brutally attacked.
Among attendees, shock was palpable. Michael Destiny, a DJ who served as a marshal at the event, said the day had been beautiful and peaceful before the tragedy.
Not only the weather was beautiful, it was a beautiful, peaceful day. That's why we are all so shocked that something so tragic has happened.
Julian Miethig, another participant, noted that hostility toward LGBTQ+ people had been rising, fueled by the ascent of the far-right AfD party.
We notice that hatred has moved from the internet to the street. We are insulted, threatened, spat upon.
A string of Islamist attacks
The ramming follows a series of jihadist attacks in Germany in recent years: a stabbing at a city festival in Solingen (2024), a car attack at a Magdeburg Christmas market (2024), and a vehicle-ramming at a Munich demonstration (2025). Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has repeatedly warned of a high risk of attacks, especially from Islamist corners. The Berlin attack, even as it leaves questions about the precise motive, reawakens those fears.
