At least one person is dead and 16 others have been injured after a van drove into a crowd of people at an LGBT-themed event in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, at around 10 p.m. local time.
Police canceled the event just hours after it began “after a van slammed into people gathered” for celebrations and “a concert in the German capital” according to the Associated Press. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Berlin on Saturday to attend Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s largest LGBT-themed celebrations.
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“The suspect is known to police,” police spokesperson Florian Nath said. “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.” Nath did not identify a suspect by name.
“My thoughts are with the families, their victims and friends,” Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said in a statement. “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.”
More than 2,000 police officers have been stationed in the capital since Saturday morning in preparation for the event.
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“It is an attack on our free and open society,” Wegner added. “After a peaceful and colorful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way. Berlin is the city of freedom – and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
