Manhunt Underway After Deadly Car Ramming Incident in Berlin

Police in Berlin announced they have identified an Islamic extremist as the suspected perpetrator of a deadly car-ramming attack in Germany’s Großer Tiergarten area on Saturday evening.

“According to current findings, it concerns a man known to the police who is attributed to the Islamist spectrum,” a Berlin police spokesman said in a statement on July 26.

The spokesman said a manhunt was still underway to find the suspect.

Police said 17 people were injured and several people suffered life-threatening injuries when a driver crashed a white vehicle into several people in the Großer Tiergarten area at around 10 p.m. local time.

Police announced a cordon in the Tiergarten area on Saturday evening, and asked people to avoid the area.

The Tiergarten was the site of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) LGBT pride parade and festival throughout the day on July 25. Christopher Street Day is one of the largest LGBT events in Europe, and hundreds of thousands were out along the parade route on Saturday.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner denounced the incident as “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,” Wegner said in a statement. “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.”

Berlin police have issued a call for witnesses to assist in the investigative effort by sending any photos or videos they may have captured.

Several other car-ramming incidents have occurred in Germany in recent times. In May, two people were killed and several others were injured when a motorist rammed a vehicle into pedestrians in the German city of Leipzig. A 33-year-old German man was arrested following that incident.

In December 2024, five people were killed and more than 200 were injured when a motorist rammed a vehicle into a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg.

A 51-year-old man from Saudi Arabia named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was convicted and sentenced in June to life in prison for the Magdeburg incident. The court determined he will not be eligible for parole after 15 years, as can be the case for those facing life sentences in Germany.

This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.