Germany classifies Berlin Pride ramming as 'terror attack'

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The attack happened in the Tiergarten, near the Brandenburg Gate, just before 10 p.m. on Saturday nightImage: dts Nachrichtenagentur/IMAGOAdvertisement

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Manhunt launched after deadly van ramming during the Pride event in central Berlin

Interior minister Dobrindt says incident being treated as 'Islamist terrorist attack'

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, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, 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 What does the Interior Ministry know so far about the suspect?07/26/2026July 26, 2026What does the Interior Ministry know so far about the suspect?

Interior Minister Dobrindt said that the suspect had used a cutting weapon — presumably a machete — to attack more passersby after the car ramming, causing additional severe injuries.

He said the attacker had been known to authorities, adding he had committed several criminal acts.

The suspect had gone through "radicalization" and belonged to the "Islamist scene," Dobrindt said.

The suspect was born in Germany in 2005, had German citizenship at birth and a Lebanese family background, Dobrindt said.

His mother acquired German citizenship just years before his birth, in 2002.

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Skip next section Dobrindt says Berlin car ramming was likely 'Islamist terrorist attack'07/26/2026July 26, 2026Dobrindt says Berlin car ramming was likely 'Islamist terrorist attack'

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt spoke at the scene of Saturday night's car ramming attack and said that authorities believed it had an Islamist motive.

"Everything we see here points to an Islamist terrorist attack," Dobrindt said.

He said that the suspect is still at large, adding that authorities had dispatched large deployments of police to Berlin and to train stations, airports and borders around the country.

Dobrindt said that authorities knew of some 29 people who had been injured in the attack, some of them severely injured, and one person had been killed.

Previous estimates put the number of injured at 16.

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Skip next section WATCH LIVE — Memorial service taking place at Pariser Platz, further updates expected07/26/2026July 26, 2026WATCH LIVE — Memorial service taking place at Pariser Platz, further updates expected

Watch below for live coverage following the van ramming attack at the Berlin Pride event that killed one and left several others injured.

A memorial service is taking place at Pariser Platz, right in front of the Brandenburg Gate. We're also expecting updates From German authorities in a short while.  Watch our live coverage below.

https://p.dw.com/p/5HmSY

Skip next section Report: Berlin Pride suspect an 'Islamic State' supporter07/26/2026July 26, 2026Report: Berlin Pride suspect an 'Islamic State' supporter

Police released a photo of Abdul B. hours after the deadly rampagedImage: Polizei BerlinThe chief suspect in a deadly attack near Berlin's Pride parade on Saturday night is a supporter of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group, German media has reported.

The Bild and Spiegel news sites said the 21-year-old man, named by police as Abdul B, was previously convicted for related offences.

The media outlets said B. last year travelled to the Middle East in a failed attempt to join IS.

He was then convicted in Germany of "preparing a serious act of subversive violence," the papers report.

German police have not confirmed the reports, but are due to issue an updated statement on the attack later on Sunday.

IS has been linked to several attacks in Europe over the past decade and claimed responsibility for the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 13 people.

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Skip next section Witnesses: How Berlin pride turned into a 'dark day'07/26/2026July 26, 2026Witnesses: How Berlin pride turned into a 'dark day'

DW editor Sebastian Kröck was 50 meters from the spot where the van, which rammed attendees of the Berlin Pride event, crashed into a tree in the Tiergarten.

Kröck described the scene, which saw one person killed and 16 others injured, as "horrific."

"We suddenly saw injured, bleeding people running towards us, screaming," he told DW.

Hundreds of thousands of people had converged on central Berlin for the annual parade, in...