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German authorities on Saturday canceled a popular Pride festival after one person was killed, and numerous others were injured, when a van rammed into a crowd in Berlin.
Police said there are at least 16 people injured who were treated by rescue personnel.
The incident occurred during the European city’s annual Christopher Street Day festival, an LGBTQ+ Pride event.
In an ongoing manhunt for a suspect, Berlin police said they had identified a person who has not been arrested and has alleged ties to Islamic groups, The Associated Press reported.
“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,” said police spokesman Florian Nath. “We still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself.”
GUNFIRE SHATTERS TORONTO LATIN STREET FESTIVAL, LEAVING AT LEAST 2 DEAD AND MULTIPLE WOUNDED
Police officers were on the scene after the cancellation of Christopher Street Day in Berlin Saturday. (Fabian Sommer/DPA via AP)
“We are conducting an intensive manhunt for suspects,” police added, later clarifying that there could be one or more suspects.
“At this point, we don’t know anything about possible motives, the identity of the perpetrator or the perpetrators, or anything of that nature,” Police spokesperson Alexander Klute told The Associated Press.
By three in the morning local time, police had detained someone whom they said is involved with the “Islamist scene in Berlin,” Berlin broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported, adding that it’s unclear if the man drove the van.
Emergency personnel gather in Berlin after the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
After the van plowed into the crowd it hit a tree, police said.
More than 2,000 officers have been protecting the event since it started Saturday morning.
In an update, the police said several of the injuries are life-threatening.
Crowds at the Christopher Street Day festival in Berlin, which was canceled after police say several people were injured when a van rammed the festivities Saturday. (Fabian Sommer/DPA via AP)
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event, which included a parade and ended Saturday evening with a show at Tiergarten park near Brandenberg Gate.
Emergency personnel gather following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities in Berlin, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
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“It is 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 Mayor Kai Wegner said in a translated X post. “Berlin is the city of freedom — and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today.
“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends. I thank the emergency services who were immediately on site and did everything in their power. And I trust the police and security authorities, who will investigate at full speed.”
