Baghdad: A vehicle plowed into a crowd on the sidelines of a march in Berlin on Saturday evening, resulting in the death of one person and injuring 16 others. The incident has stirred concerns and reactions from officials and the public alike.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the mayor of Berlin described the incident as “an attack on our free society.” A police spokesperson revealed that the suspect involved in the incident has been identified but remains at large. Dominik Pretz, representing the Berlin fire department, confirmed the number of injuries and the fatality that occurred at the scene.

Police spokesperson Florian Nath stated that the vehicle involved was abandoned at the scene in Tiergarten park, which was the intended endpoint of the march. Despite efforts, including using helicopters with thermal imaging to search the nearby woods, the police were unable to locate the perpetrator or perpetrators. The search efforts are now being expanded to cover “the entire city.”

Nath emphasized the need for caution in labeling the incident, as investigators are still in the process of gathering information from witnesses. However, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener was quick to label the incident as an attack on the city’s free and open society.

A government spokesperson conveyed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Interior Minister are committed to uncovering the full circumstances of this act and ensuring justice is served. In the aftermath, the event was canceled, and police advised participants via Instagram to return home.

Earlier in the day, the event had attracted hundreds of thousands of attendees. Known in Germany as “Christopher Street Day,” the march began at the street crossing Berlin’s Tiergarten park and concluded at the Brandenburg Gate, where concerts had been ongoing since Friday.