It was around 10pm when a van drove into a crowd in Tiergarten Park. The vehicle then crashed into a tree, and the person or people in the vehicle fled the scene. One person has been confirmed dead and at least three have life-threatening injuries. According to local media, a woman has died.
"The suspect is known to the police. He is known to us as a member of Islamist circles here in Berlin and the search for him is in full swing," says police spokesman Florian Nath, adding that the police have no information about motives or the suspect's exact role in the crime.
Police are not saying whether it is a terrorist attack at this time. Authorities say the man may be "armed and dangerous," reports Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Possible puncture wounds
According to witness accounts, several people may also have suffered stab wounds; however, this has not been confirmed.
That's what witnesses have told us. That several people were lying on the ground with stab wounds, Berlin police spokesman Florian Nath told the Berliner Zeitung during the night.
According to several German media outlets, a raid was carried out on an apartment in Berlin, but no one was arrested in connection with the raid.
A major operation is underway in central Berlin. According to media reports, police have used thermal imaging cameras and a helicopter to search the area.
“City of Freedom”
Panic erupted when the vehicle drove into the crowd, where part of Berlin's Pride celebrations were taking place. The area around Tiergarten and the concert area at the Brandenburg Gate were evacuated.
Earlier in the day, the city's Pride parade, known as Christopher Street Day, had passed the scene of the incident. Sunday's event has been canceled due to the incident. Tens of thousands of people participated in the parade and festivities surrounding the event.
"Berlin is a city of freedom and our freedom has been attacked today in the most horrific way," writes Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner on X.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to punish whoever is responsible. In a statement, he says he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt will “fight to ensure that this terrible act is investigated and punished.”
