A photo published by German tabloid Bild (like POLITICO part of the Axel Springer group) showed a white van with a smashed hood. According to regional media, the man drove the van into a crowd on one of paths in the Tiergarten park.

Both Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack. Wegner wrote on X: “It is 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.”

Merz called the incident “a heinous act” and “an attack on our society,” in a post on X.

“The act will be investigated and pursued with the utmost severity,” Merz said.

On Saturday evening, Merz and many other senior German politicians attended the opening of the Bayreuth Wagner Festival in Bavaria.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: “Hate and violence have no place in our societies. We stand united at the side of the LGBTQI+ community.”

Berlin has been the site of Germany’s deadliest Islamist terrorist attack. In December 2016, Islamist terrorist Anis Amri drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more.

This article has been updated.