Man kills one, injures 29 by driving into Berlin LGBTQ+ festival crowd; suspect killed by police

A vehicle plowed into participants at a large LGBTQ+ pride festival in Berlin, leaving one dead and 29 injured. The driver, 21-year-old Abdul Wallud, was killed by police on Sunday during an operation to apprehend him, according to reports.

Wallud, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, had reportedly been under surveillance for attempting to join the extremist group Islamic State (ISIS) and had been imprisoned until May. German authorities have officially classified the incident as a terrorist attack motivated by Islamist extremism.

The attack occurred Saturday evening when Wallud drove a white van into the "Christopher Street Day" (CSD) festival, Europe's largest LGBTQ+ pride event, in Berlin's Tiergarten park. After hitting approximately 30 people, the vehicle crashed into a tree, and Wallud fled on foot before his fatal encounter with police.

Reports indicate Wallud had previously attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIS, leading to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. His prior actions and the nature of the attack have led authorities to treat the incident with the utmost seriousness.

“

The German government has defined this incident as a terrorist attack by an Islamic extremist.