At least one person has died and 16 others have been injured after a van drove into a crowd at an LGBT-themed event in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday around 10 p.m. local time. Police canceled the event shortly after it began due to the incident, which occurred during celebrations and a concert in the city.
Police spokesperson Alexander Klute stated that the authorities do not yet have information regarding possible motives or the identity of the perpetrator. An officer mentioned that an intensive search for possible suspects is underway, with some victims sustaining life-threatening injuries.
The event, known as Christopher Street Day, is one of Europe’s largest LGBT-themed celebrations, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees. More than 2,000 police officers had been deployed in the capital in preparation for the event.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed condolences to the victims' families and thanked emergency services for their prompt response. He described the incident as an attack on a free and open society, emphasizing that the assembly for tolerance and peace was violently disrupted.
This is a developing story and will be updated.