A man drove a vehicle into a crowd in Berlin on Saturday evening during Christopher Street Day (CSD), Berlin’s version of the Pride parade. One person is reported to have been killed. Police are searching for a known Islamist.
The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. near Lennéstraße by the Tiergarten. According to police, several people were injured after a vehicle was driven into participants in the parade, BILD reports.
One woman died despite resuscitation attempts, while fifteen injured people are being treated by ambulance personnel, according to NTV.
“We are currently on the scene with large police contingents and rescue personnel from the Berlin Fire Brigade in the Tiergarten. It is assumed that a vehicle drove into the park and struck and injured several people. The injured are now being treated by rescue personnel. We are now conducting an intensive search for suspects,” Berlin Police wrote on X.
Wir sind mit zahlreichen Polizeikräften sowie Rettungskräften der Berliner Feuerwehr im Großen Tiergarten im Einsatz. Mutmaßlich ist hier ein Fahrzeug in den Tiergarten eingefahren, hat mehrere Personen angefahren und dabei verletzt. Die Verletzten werden aktuell von… pic.twitter.com/emEBnpqVUF
— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) July 25, 2026
The exact number of people affected and the precise cause of the incident remain unclear. Police are searching for the person – or persons – responsible. It is uncertain whether there was one perpetrator or several, although, as the incident has been described, it appeared most likely that there was a single perpetrator.
‼️ [ 🇩🇪 ALLEMAGNE ]
🔸 De « nombreuses victimes » signalées après qu’un véhicule a foncé dans la foule lors de la gay pride à Berlin. pic.twitter.com/DgMjXykAGP
— Little Think Tank (@L_ThinkTank) July 25, 2026
For obvious reasons, the festivities have been brought to an end.
“Please leave the area calmly and in an orderly manner. Please avoid the Victory Column and the Tiergarten. Leave the area in the direction of the Central Station,” the organisers announced on Instagram.
An eyewitness told BILD that a white van was driven into the crowd at high speed. Some estimate that the van struck the crowd at around 80 km/h. Emergency services are present at the scene in large numbers. Witnesses say they saw a suspected perpetrator exit the vehicle and flee on foot.
The perpetrator is also alleged to have been carrying a machete and to have attacked people nearby. The police special unit GSG 9 has been alerted.
Rumours are circulating on social media, accompanied by a photograph of an alleged perpetrator said to have been arrested. There are also rumours that the perpetrator was pro-Palestinian. Document is investigating whether this can be confirmed. No media outlets report that any arrest has been made. The only exception, for a time, was Junge Freiheit.
Eyewitnesses told JUNGE FREIHEIT that a suspect of Arab descent has already been arrested. A video is said to show the arrest. The arrest has not yet been confirmed by an independent organisation.
They have now removed this from their article. The video allegedly showing the arrest is being widely shared on X. We must emphasise that this has not been confirmed by the German police, and false rumours tend to spread rapidly in situations such as these.
It is believed that the man who drove his car into the Berlin Pride Parade may be in police custody as shown in this video filmed by witnesses. pic.twitter.com/r1V56eXFso
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 25, 2026
At this year’s festival, a drag parade was held as part of Berlin Pride for the first time. Around 500 drag queens, drag kings and LGBTQ+ supporters “radiated colour and a festive atmosphere” as they marched to music from the brass band Transophonix, ABC News writes.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), wrote on X that the incident was an attack on a free and cosmopolitan society.
“After a peaceful and vibrant Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade, a gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was brutally attacked. Berlin is the city of freedom, and that freedom has been attacked in a shocking manner,” Wegner wrote.
Police are searching for a suspect who is said to be linked to the city’s Islamist milieu. The man is known to the authorities from previous investigations, according to the DPA news agency.
In other words, this appears to be yet another Islamist terrorist attack.