Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Manhunt launched after deadly van ramming during the Pride parade in central Berlin
- One person was killed, 16 others injured
- Several people are in a life-threatening condition in hospital
- Police name suspect as 21-year-old Abdul B.
- Police said the suspect is known for links to the Islamist scene
- The Pride parade is known as Christopher Street Day in Germany
- The remaining Pride events were called off
Follow DW’s coverage for the latest developments on the manhunt and reaction to Saturday night’s attack.
Skip next section Merz condemns ‘horrific’ Berlin Pride van ramming 07/26/2026July 26, 2026
Merz condemns ‘horrific’ Berlin Pride van ramming
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned Saturday night’s deadly van ramming at Berlin Pride celebrations, describing it as a “horrific act.”
In a statement, Merz said he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt would ensure “this horrific act is fully investigated and punished.”
Meanwhile, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, who visited the scene, described the incident as “an attack on our free and open society.”
“After a peaceful and colorful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way. Berlin is the city of freedom, and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today,” Wegner wrote on X.
In remarks to reporters at the scene, Wegner said, “We will not allow our way of life and our way of living together to be taken from us.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5HlvaSkip next section Germany’s history of vehicle rammings07/26/2026July 26, 2026
Germany’s history of vehicle rammings
Germany has witnessed several deadly vehicle rammings at major public events in recent years.
In 2016, a Tunisian-born man drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people, in the deadliest Islamist attack in Germany’s postwar history.
In 2024, a man plowed his car into a busy Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, killing at least two people and injuring more than 60. The perpetrator was a Saudi-born atheist who held anti-Islamic and far-right beliefs.
Earlier this year, two people were killed after a man drove a car through a crowd in the eastern city of Leipzig. Investigators treated the incident as a rampage and the suspect, a German national, was remanded to a psychiatric hospital.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HlvgSkip next section Police name suspect, confirm several stabbed07/26/2026July 26, 2026
Police name suspect, confirm several stabbed
Berlin Police named 21-year-old Abdul B. as the suspect in Saturday night’s van ramming attack at the Berlin Pride festivities.
In a statement, police described him as of slim build, around 1.9 meters tall, with black hair.
The suspect was wearing a black hoodie and white pants.
Police said Abdul B could be “armed and dangerous” and should not be approached.
The public is advised to call the police emergency hotline 110 if they know anything.
Police also said that several people were injured with stabbing weapons, without giving further details.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HluzSkip next section What we know about the attack07/26/2026July 26, 2026
What we know about the attack
Kieran Burke Editor
Good morning from Germany, which is still reeling from Saturday night’s van ramming attack at the Pride festivities in Berlin.
One person was killed and at least 16 others injured, authorities said.
Police said a white van had driven into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. local time (20:00 UTC/GMT).
The van hit several people before colliding with a tree.
Berlin police said they are linking the attack with the Islamist scene.
Police said they have identified a suspect, named as Abdul B, who is yet to be apprehended.
If seen, the public is advised not to approach him and to call the police.
In a statement, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he and the country’s interior minister would ensure “this horrific act is fully investigated and punished.”
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner denounced the “attack on our free and cosmopolitan society.”
The city of Berlin has activated a crisis hotline for people missing friends or family members.
Pride is known as Christopher Street Day in Germany, named after the New York street where the 1969 Stonewall riots began and sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement
https://p.dw.com/p/5HluTShow more posts
About The Author
