Berlin Pride van attack: German police hunt suspect after one woman killed

A van struck people near Berlin's Pride festival and police named a 21-year-old suspect. The attack killed one woman, injured many others and abruptly ended a major LGBTQ+ celebration.

In Short

• Authorities warned the public not to approach the suspect directly
• Police said the accused had known links with Islamic circles
• A white van hit revellers in Tiergarten park before crashing

German authorities on Sunday issued a wanted notice for a 21-year-old man suspected in a van ramming near Berlin's Pride festival that left one woman dead and injured at least 16 others. Police and prosecutors asked the public for help in tracing the suspect, identified as Abdul B.

In the notice, authorities warned people to avoid "direct contact" with the suspect, saying he may be armed and dangerous. Police had said earlier that they had identified a suspect with ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.

Police spokesperson Florian Nath said, "The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed." Nath added that investigators had no information on "his specific motives". Authorities said the suspect is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle late on Saturday evening, and that one or more people apparently then left the vehicle. Several people were also apparently stabbed, they said.

According to police, a white van drove into Tiergarten park at around 10 pm and hit several people before crashing into a tree. The closing party of the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was taking place nearby after a parade involving around 80 trucks had moved through central Berlin earlier in the day. Berlin's fire service said three people suffered life-threatening injuries, eight were seriously injured and five had minor injuries.

The event near the Brandenburg Gate was called off at around 10.15 pm, and a band's performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and avoid the route through the park. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was shocked by "this cowardly, abhorrent attack on people celebrating peacefully". Hundreds of thousands had come to Berlin for the celebrations on Saturday, though it was unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening.

The attack near one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations left one person dead and at least 16 injured, with police continuing their search for the fugitive suspect as investigators worked to establish what happened and why.

With PTI Inputs

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