What you need to know
- Suspect shot dead in police operation, Berlin authorities say
- Interior minister Dobrindt says incident being treated as 'Islamist terrorist attack'
- Merz urges CSD supporters 'not to be intimidated'
- One person was killed, 29 others injured
- Several people are in a life-threatening condition in hospital
Follow DW's coverage for the latest developments on the manhunt and reaction to Saturday night's attack.
Suspect in attack during Berlin Pride shot dead in police operation — Berlin authorities
Berlin's Senate Department for Interior Affairs confirmed that the fugitive suspect in a Saturday van ramming during Berlin Pride was shot dead in a police operation on Sunday.
The suspect's death was previously reported by various media outlets.
According to the reports, the police carried out the operation in a garden allotment in Spandau on the western outskirts of Berlin.
The department functions as the Interior Ministry for the city-state of Berlin.
Van ramming suspect shot dead in Spandau — media reports
German media are reporting that the suspect in Saturday's van ramming attack was shot dead during police operations, but there is yet to be confirmation from authorities.
Police were deployed to a garden allotment in the Spandau borough on the western outskirts of Berlin, a spokesperson for the city-state's public prosecutor's office was cited as saying.
The spokesperson said that police operations are ongoing, adding that authorities could not yet comment on whether there had been any arrests.
Van ramming suspect tried to join 'Islamic State' group — prosecutors
Judicial authorities confirmed earlier media reports that the suspect in the Saturday van ramming in Berlin had made multiple failed attempts to leave Germany and join the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group.
The suspect had initially attempted to travel to Mauritania through Turkey, but ultimately traveled from Turkey to Lebanon in an attempt to make his way to Syria to join IS, the public prosecutor general's office of the city-state of Berlin said.
According to the statement, he then made contact with multiple individuals in Lebanon that he believed were members of IS.
The suspect was sentenced to three months in prison by a Lebanese military court for "inciting religious and confessional conflict," among other things. He returned to Germany in November 2025 after the end of his prison term and was again arrested at Berlin International Airport.
The suspect then spent months in pre-trial detention in Germany.
IN PICTURES: Brandenburg Gate gathering after deadly van ramming
Hundreds of people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to pay respects to the victims of Saturday's car ramming attack.
The gathering mourners held a minute of silence and lay down flowers at the iconic site in the German capital.
The area was partially cordoned off and a police helicopter circled the perimeter.
Attack fuels security debate across German political spectrum
The attack on Berlin's Christopher Street Day (CSD) event has triggered strong reactions across Germany's political spectrum, with leaders condemning the violence while offering sharply different assessments of its causes and implications.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the incident as an assault on the country's fundamental values.
"This act is an attack on our open society, on our way of life and on our ability to live together," he said.
Steinmeier added he was, "shaken and outraged."
How has the conservative CDU reacted?
The incident has also reignited debate over Germany's security policies and counterterrorism measures. Senior politicians from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) called for tougher measures in response.
Günter Krings, the party's spokesperson on interior affairs, argued that harsher penalties should be introduced if investigators determine the attack was motivated by Islamist extremism. Speaking to the Rheinische Post he also suggested that citizenship rules could be tightened.
Fellow CDU lawmaker Alexander Throm urged lawmakers to move quickly on pending security legislation, which includes provisions for expanded digital investigative powers and retention of IP addresses for criminal investigations.
Reactions from center-left SPD, far-right AFD
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), focused on defending the values represented by Pride events.
"Christopher Street Day stands for the right of every person to live freely," he said. "We will defend that."
Meanwhile, politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) used the incident to criticize the government's handling of security issues.
AfD lawmaker Martin Hess described it as "a complete failure of the government's security policies," arguing that authorities had failed to prevent violence despite extensive security preparations.
AfD lawmaker Thorsten Weiss claimed that Berlin faces a serious problem with “Islamist extremism” and called for an emergency committee meeting to investigate how a person he described as a known extremist was allegedly able to carry out the attack.
Federal prosecutor's office to take on CSD ramming case — minister
Germany's federal public prosecutor's office will take over investigations into the Saturday van ramming in Berlin, Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said.
"The Interior Minister has already announced that this is an Islamist attack. The Federal Public Prosecutor General will take over the investigation," she said.
"Naturally, we will pursue those responsible with the utmost severity and then bring them to trial."
The office is Germany's top prosecuting body and is responsible for investigating incidents deemed Islamist terror attacks, among other things.
WATCH: Suspect identified in Berlin Pride attack
Berlin police have launched a manhunt after a deadly van-ramming attack at the closing event of Christopher Street Day Pride celebrations near the Brandenburg Gate.
Investigators identified suspect Abdul B., a German citizen, whom police say is known for links to Islamist circles and may be armed.
The van drove into a crowd in Tiergarten Park shortly after 10 p.m., prompting an evacuation and a major emergency response. Mourners later gathered near the scene despite security concerns.
Bundestag flags lowered after deadly Pride attack
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has ordered flags at the German Parliament to be flown at half-staff following the attack at the Christopher Street Day (CSD) event in Berlin.
In a statement, Klöckner said she was "shaken to the core" by the attack and expressed her sympathy for the victims, their families and all those who witnessed the incident.
She wished the injured a full and speedy recovery and thanked police, fire and rescue services, as well as the many volunteers and helpers, for their swift response.
Klöckner described the attack as an assault not only on individuals but also on the values they represent.
"Anyone who attacks people standing up for freedom, equal rights and diversity is attacking the foundations of our democratic community and trampling on human dignity," she said. She stressed that Germany's constitution protects the right to live freely and without fear and to stand up for one's convictions.
The Bundestag president also vowed a determined response to those who seek to respond to freedom and the country's way of life with terror.
Merz urges CSD participants 'not to be intimidated' by attack
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the Saturday van ramming in Berlin as an "abhorrent event."
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this Islamist terrorist attack," he told reporters in front of St. Mary's Church, or Marienkirche, in central Berlin, also extending his sympathy to the families of victims.
"I wish those who sustained injuries a swift recovery."
He thanked first responders and police for "intervening as quickly as possible, which could well have prevented an even worse outcome last night."
"Let us not be intimidated by these crimes," he said, addressing participants of CSD events in Berlin and around Germany. "They want to divide our society, they want to take the most important thing that we have: namely, our open society, our liberal society."
"We will not allow this poison of terrorism … to spread in our society," he said. "We will stand together in this country."
He vowed that the German government would work to bring those responsible for the attack to justice "as quickly as possible."
Merz addresses Berlin pride ramming
Watch below for the coverage following the van ramming attack at the Berlin Pride event that killed one and left several others injured.
Watch the coverage below.
WATCH: German interior minister says attack treated as 'Islamist terror' one
All evidence in the Berlin Pride parade vehicle-ramming points to an Islamist terrorist attack, Germany's interior minister says.
Federal Commissioner for Victims expresses support to those affected by the Berlin Pride attack
Federal Commissioner for Victims Roland Weber is supporting those affected by the attack on the Pride parade — known in Germany as Christopher Street Day (CSD) — in Berlin on Saturday night.
"It is particularly shocking that an event like the CSD — which stands for equal rights for all and, above all, for love — has become the target of such a hateful attack that shows a complete disregard for human life," Roland said in a statement.
"My team and I, together with the State of Berlin's central contact point for victims of terrorist attacks and major incidents, are here to support the victims and their families," he added.
In the same statement, German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig meanwhile extended her "thanks to all the helpers and emergency personnel who quickly and dedicatedly came to the aid of those affected."
"This act will be investigated and prosecuted with the full force of the law," Hubig said.
Berlin mayor praises CSD security and organizers
Wegner thanked police and emergency crews for immediately reporting to the scene of the attack, saying "information channels worked."
He also praised the organizers of Christopher Street Day, saying they had responded "professionally" and "without panic" to the incident.
He stressed that there had been "high security" at Berlin CSD, and the suspect did not manage to attack the main trajectory of the parade, as police had secured the area.
"However, just 400 meters [1312 feet] away, there were still Christopher Street Day attendees — many people who had left the event or were on their way there, as well as ordinary Berliners and visitors to our city," Wegner said.
Berlin mayor says car ramming 'attack on all of us'
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner thanked Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and federal authorities for close cooperation with the German capital in investigating Saturday's car ramming attack.
"Yesterday Berlin had celebrated a great day. Berlin was colorful, Berlin showed how diverse and open this city is," Wegner said.
The mayor said that city hall would fly its flags at half-mast in mourning.
"It was an attack on all of us," Wegner said.
The capital's mayor said that the ramming was an attack on "our way of coexisting" and on "our liberal democracy, openness and freedom."
He said that a funeral service would begin at St. Mary's Church in central Berlin at 4:30 p.m. local time (1430 UTC) which would then likely proceed to the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate.
Suspect subject of previous conviction — Dobrindt
Interior Minister Dobrindt said that the suspect in the car ramming attack had been convicted by a Berlin court in the past.
The minister said that he had been handed a prison sentence of one year and 10 months, which was then suspended on probation.
He said that the general prosecutor's office had filed an objection against the suspension of the sentence.