Berlin crowd attack: Merz condemns assault 'on our society'

A woman was killed in Saturday’s attack on the Berlin Gay Pride Parade, Berlin police spokesman Florian Nath said on Sunday morning, adding that her injuries were so severe she died at the scene.

A wrecked white vehicle is seen in the Tiergarten area, after crashing into a tree near the scene where several people were injured on the sidelines of the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin, Germany, July 26, 2026.

EPA/FADI YOUSEF via PAP

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the incident “a repulsive act and an attack on German society.”

Nath did not provide further details or specify the condition of the injured.

Earlier, the fire department reported that three of the at least 16 injured people were in life‑threatening condition, eight were seriously injured, five sustained minor injuries, and 30 were receiving psychological support.

Late Saturday evening, a perpetrator drove a van into a crowd in Berlin’s Tiergarten park. The Gay Pride Parade was taking place nearby. The attack occurred in the popular central park, close to the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz.

Following the incident, the event was halted, and organizers and police urged attendees to return home. Authorities closed access to the Potsdamer Platz area.

Police issued an arrest warrant for the suspected perpetrator of the attack on the Equality Parade, the Berlin prosecutor’s office announced Sunday morning. The suspect is 21‑year‑old Abdul B., previously known to police and linked to Islamist circles. “He is dangerous and may be armed,” police warned.

Authorities added: “If you encounter the suspect, call 110 immediately. Do not approach him.” The suspect is described as slim and approximately 190 cm tall.

Nath confirmed that the man is known to police and has ties to Islamist groups in Berlin. According to DPA, he was released from juvenile detention in May of this year.

It remains unclear whether the suspect was driving the vehicle. The empty van was seized at the scene.

“This is a repulsive act and an attack on our society,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday, commenting on the attack that left one person dead and at least 16 injured.

“What a repulsive act in Berlin,” Merz wrote on the X platform. “Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world peacefully celebrated Christopher Street Day. They wanted us to treat each other with kindness and tolerance.”

“This is an attack on our society. We are open‑minded and love freedom, and we will continue to defend these values,” he added.

Merz said the circumstances of the crime will be fully investigated and that the perpetrator “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

(pu)

SOURCE: PAP