Car drives into crowd in Berlin's Tiergarten – one dead, dozens injured, Islamist on the run

According to initial information from the fire department, 16 people were initially injured, three of them with life-threatening injuries and eight seriously injured. Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt revised the figure upward on Sunday afternoon: «Neben der getöteten Frau gab es laut Angaben von Bundesinnenminister Dobrindt Stand Sonntagnachmittag 29 Verletzte.» Charité hospital treated eight injured people, of whom four have since been discharged and four remain in the intensive care unit, though according to the hospital they are no longer in life-threatening condition. A further 30 people received psychological support, according to the fire department.

Investigations and manhunt

The Berlin Prosecutor General's Office and the Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation on suspicion of an attack. Police identified a suspected perpetrator overnight: 21-year-old Abdul B., who is known to police in Berlin and is believed to belong to the Islamist milieu. On Sunday morning, police published a photo and issued a public search notice for him. According to information from several media outlets, he was released from juvenile detention in May 2026 and had previously been in pre-trial detention because he allegedly tried to travel to Syria to join the «Islamischer Staat» terrorist militia.

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) spoke late on Saturday evening of an attack on a «freie und weltoffene Gesellschaft». In a statement, he said: «Es ist ein Angriff auf unsere freie und weltoffene Gesellschaft - nach einem friedlichen und bunten CSD wurde die Versammlung für ein tolerantes und friedliches Berlin auf brutalste Art attackiert. Berlin ist die Stadt der Freiheit - und unsere Freiheit ist heute aufs Schrecklichste angegriffen worden.» His thoughts were with the victims, their families and friends. At the same time, Wegner said it was too early to classify the incident as a terrorist attack.

Political reactions

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) condemned the act on Sunday morning on the platform X as «abscheulich». He wrote: «Was für eine abscheuliche Tat in Berlin. Hunderttausende Menschen aus aller Welt feierten friedlich beim Christopher Street Day. Sie wollten, dass wir gut und tolerant miteinander umgehen. Das ist ein Angriff auf unsere Gesellschaft.» He announced that the act would be investigated and prosecuted with the full force of the law. A government spokesperson said Merz was in close contact with Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt and was being kept continuously informed by the security authorities; on Sunday he intended to dial into a situation briefing at the Interior Ministry.

Dobrindt himself spoke of a «feigen und abscheulichen Attacke auf friedlich feiernde Menschen», which deeply shocked him. On Sunday afternoon, based on the investigations, he classified the incident as an Islamist terrorist attack: «Dobrindt sagte am Nachmittag, alles deute darauf hin, dass man es mit einem islamistischen Terroranschlag zu tun habe.» According to his information, after driving into the crowd the attacker also assaulted people with a machete; in addition, there may have been a second phase of the attack after the vehicle phase. Police are investigating whether there was one or several perpetrators.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at an event in Hamm: «Diese Tat ist ein Angriff auf unsere offene Gesellschaft, auf unsere Art zu leben und zusammenzuleben.» Bundestag President Julia Klöckner ordered mourning flags to be flown at the Bundestag.

Background: The CSD and its cause

Police warned the public not to approach the suspect. The authorities said Abdul B. was possibly armed and dangerous. Tips can be submitted to police via an information portal, the emergency number 110, and the tip line 030 54024111. Witnesses were asked to submit photos or videos they had recorded themselves.

According to dpa information, the suspected perpetrator Abdul B. is a German citizen of Lebanese origin and, according to information from NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, was classified as an Islamist «Gefährder» (high-risk individual), meaning radicalized and willing to use violence. According to «Bild», he had come to police attention for offenses including grievous bodily harm and extortionate robbery. He is said to have been arrested at BER airport at the end of 2025 on a return trip from Lebanon; according to dpa information, he has family in Berlin. The Federal Police announced that they would visibly step up their presence at airports, in the rail system, and in border protection.

Solidarity and international reactions

Christopher Street Day this year was held under the motto «Haltung ist hot». Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated on Saturday and demonstrated for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and other queer people. The parade started at noon and ended in the evening at the Brandenburg Gate. Following a concert with pop singer Sarah Connor, a host asked those present to leave the event immediately but calmly; the word «Evakuierung» appeared on the screens. The organizers wrote on Instagram: «Bitte geht nach Hause. Der CSD ist abgebrochen.»

The CDU lead candidate for the upcoming Berlin House of Representatives election, Stefan Evers, wrote on X: «Es trifft unsere Stadt mitten ins Herz.» The Federal Government's Queer Commissioner, Sophie Koch (SPD), said on Instagram: «Wenn die Feinde unserer Freiheit Hass und Gewalt säen, werden sie keine Angst ernten, sondern mehr Zusammenhalt, mehr Vielfalt und mehr Sichtbarkeit.»

Police cordoned off a wide area around the crime scene. The underground S-Bahn station Anhalter Bahnhof was also searched by heavily armed officers. The Tiergarten was searched from the air during the night using thermal imaging cameras. At around 1:10 a.m., officers searched an apartment in the Schöneberg district, but found no one there. The investigators assumed that the perpetrator was no longer in the immediate area, but elsewhere in Berlin.

Political consequences and security debate

During the night, the organizers also cancelled two events planned for Sunday; a vigil was scheduled for early afternoon. Support came from across the country: awareness workers Rebecca Broermann and Leo Dietz from the Awareness-Netz NRW told WDR: «Uns war sofort klar, dass wir vor Ort sein müssen, weil es in Berlin jetzt viele Menschen gibt, die Hilfe brauchen.» They wanted to support the vigil the day after the attack as part of the awareness team.

International reactions followed swiftly. Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) wrote on X: «Der CSD steht für Liebe, Freiheit und Zusammenhalt. Diese Werte lassen wir uns nicht nehmen. Liebe ist stärker als Hass.» Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) ordered that a mourning ribbon be affixed alongside the rainbow flag on Hamburg's City Hall in the afternoon; Pride Week had already begun in the Hanseatic city, and around 250,000 people were expected at Hamburg's CSD the following Saturday. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther (CDU), Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies (SPD), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister President Manuela Schwesig (SPD), Hamburg's Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank, and Hanover's Mayor Belit Onay (Greens) also expressed dismay and solidarity.

Security policy demands were raised. AfD interior politician Martin Hess spoke of a «totalen Versagen der Sicherheitspolitik» and demanded that Islamist «Gefährder» be deported or taken into custody. The German Police Union called, among other things, for expanded powers of access to computers, smartphones and tablets, as well as more video surveillance in public spaces. CDU interior politician Günter Krings demanded in the «Rheinische Post» tougher penalties for Islamist attackers. Terrorism expert Felix Neumann of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung pointed out that there could be no such thing as 100 percent security for public life.

Impact on other CSD events

Berlin's CSD has commemorated the Stonewall riots since 1979, which began on June 28, 1969 after a police raid on the «Stonewall Inn» in New York and are regarded as the birth of the modern gay and lesbian movement. In Berlin, the event has grown from a small