Suspected Islamic extremist wanted after plowing van into Berlin LGBT festival, killing 1 and injuring 16
One person died and at least 16 others were injured when a van driven by a man with Islamic extremist ties slammed into a crowd of people celebrating at Berlin’s famed LGBTQ+ event Saturday night, officials said.
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After the horrific attack on the event — which is called Christopher Street Day after the famed location in New York of the Stonewall Inn — the attacker fled, but police said they were hot on his trail.
“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesman Florian Nath said.
The suspect, who was identified as 21-year-old Abdul B., has not been arrested as of Sunday morning.
At least one person died and several others sustained life-threatening injuries.
Police were also investigating accounts that in addition to the crash, some victims appeared to have stab wounds.
However, it is too early to draw conclusions from those accounts and authorities are asking witnesses to come forward to police with any videos or photos from the scene of the attack.
Berlin city has also activated a crisis hotline for people who are unable to locate loved ones following the tragic events.
Around 10 p.m., a white van drove into the Tiergarten park, located along the route that the pride march had passed by earlier, and slammed into several people before colliding with a tree, according to police.
Event attendee Julian Meithig wanted to go to an afterparty after celebrating at a party at the nearby Brandenburg Gate, when a friend told him that “something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.”
Meithig, who then walked over to the scene of the attack, said “it’s a dark day for our community.”
The pride event, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to Berlin, was canceled around 15 minutes later and a barrage of police swarmed the scene.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said that “following a peaceful and vibrant pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner.”
“This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society.”
“I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be working around the clock to investigate,” Wegner said.
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With Post wires
