Police hunt 21-year-old suspect after deadly attack near Berlin CSD
UPDATE — 26 July 2026, 09:00 CEST (research completed at 11:04 CEST): Berlin police and the Berlin General Prosecutor's Office issued a public wanted notice for a 21-year-old suspect. They now officially describe the case as an attack in the vicinity of the CSD. The man remained at large when this review was completed, and authorities warned that he could be armed and dangerous.
A Berlin Fire Brigade spokesperson told Tagesschau that, of the 16 injured people, three had life-threatening injuries, eight were seriously injured and five lightly injured. The joint police and prosecutor statement also says that one or more people are believed to have left the vehicle and that several people may have been injured with stabbing weapons. These points remain under investigation; the full sequence, the roles of any further participants and the specific motive have not been conclusively established.
Berlin's Christopher Street Day was brought to an early end late on Saturday, 25 July, after the serious incident in Tiergarten. Berlin police said a woman died. Another 16 people were injured.
According to the information confirmed on Sunday morning, a white vehicle entered Tiergarten at around 10 p.m. from Ahornsteig, parallel to Lennéstrasse. It struck several people before hitting a tree. At least one person left the vehicle and fled in an unknown direction. Police conducted an intensive search through the night.
The closing event at the Brandenburg Gate was stopped. Police and emergency services asked visitors to leave and avoid the wider area. Earlier, hundreds of thousands of people had joined the Berlin CSD, marching through the capital in support of democracy, tolerance and diversity.
Important: authorities now use the term attack and are publicly searching for a suspect. They have not, however, confirmed a specific motive, his exact role or the number of any additional participants. Queer Switzerland is not treating this as a confirmed hate crime or as having a conclusively established terrorist motive.
This article reflects the confirmed findings of the review scheduled for 09:00 CEST on 26 July 2026; research was completed at 11:04 CEST.
