German police are hunting a member of the 'Islamist scene' after a van was driven into a crowd of people at a Pride parade in Berlin, killing at least one person.The 'brutal attack' happened on Saturday evening just hours after the city's annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) pride event began, with thousands in attendance for the celebration.Police said a white van charged through the city's central Tiergarten Park, near the Brandenburg Gate. Witnesses said several people were hit before the van crashed into a tree and the driver fled on foot.At least 16 people were injured in the crash and it has been reported the person killed was a woman. At least three people sustained life-threatening injuries, while eight have been left seriously injured.Several hours after the incident, police said they had identified a 'suspected perpetrator' who is a member of Berlin's 'Islamist scene' but that they had not been detained. A spokesperson said: 'We have now identified a suspected perpetrator. Measures against this suspected perpetrator, who has not yet been arrested, are underway. 'However, this suspected perpetrator is known to the police as a member of the Islamist scene here in Berlin.' 'Numerous' people have been injured, including several with life-threatening injuries, the force's spokesperson said, after a driver charged through the Berlin's central Tiergarten Park People wrapped in security blankets hug each other near the scene where several people were injured on the sideline of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin The driver of the van ploughed into a crowd of people near Berlin's Pride celebrations on Saturday evening in a 'brutal attack' Pictured: The wrecked vehicle used in the crime as the area has been cordoned off A driver has ploughed into a crowd of people near Berlin's Pride celebrations on Saturday evening, leaving several people injured, Berlin police have said People wrapped in security blankets hug near the scene where one person was killed and around 15 injured People embrace after the annual Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride parade was called off, after a car crashed into the crowd A firefighter kneels on the floor as emergency services respond to the incident. One person has been killed, Bild reportedA man wrapped in a security blanket makes a phone call next to police and ambulances near the scene where one person was killedThe Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, said in a post on X that a 'gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin has been most brutally attacked'. He added: 'After a peaceful and colourful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way,' he wrote.'Berlin is the city of freedom – and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today.'And I trust the police and security authorities, who will investigate at full speed.'The van was found smashed into a tree, but empty with no driver or passengers inside. A police spokesperson said at the scene: 'According to our latest information, the vehicle drove ... into the Tiergarten around 10 p.m. (2000 GMT), injuring several people in the process, and then came to a standstill after hitting a tree here in the Tiergarten.'It was empty, which is why we are currently working intensively to track down the perpetrator or perpetrators.'Witnesses reported seeing a white vehicle drive into revellers at speed, before a man got out of the vehicle with a bladed weapon, according to Bild.Another witness told the publication he then fled on foot.The motorist struck down several people before crashing into a tree and abandoning the car, police said.The Tiergarten park is next to the route that the Pride march had passed along earlier in the day.The area has been cordoned off as officers search for the suspected assailant, with helicopters also aiding the hunt from the sky.'We are conducting an intensive search for possible suspects,' a police officer said on a short video released on the Berlin Police account on X.'We are currently deployed with numerous police forces as well as rescue units from the Berlin Fire Department in the Großer Tiergarten.'It is suspected that a vehicle has driven into the Tiergarten here and has struck and injured several people. The injured are currently being treated by rescue personnel.' Forensic investigators are collecting evidence from the white van involved in the crime The incident happened just hours after the event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community had begun, prompting police to call off the event in the German capital The incident happened just hours after the event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community had begun, prompting police to call off the event in the German capital Emergency service workers wheel a person who has been injured after a car ploughed into a crowd in Germany on Saturday Police and emergency responders work near the scene where several people were injured in Germany's capital city 'Numerous' people have been injured, including several with life-threatening injuries, the force's spokesperson Florian Nath said. It is not clear how many are injuredFirefighters, ambulances, as well as other emergency services were at the park attending to victims. A helicopter landing pad was situated near the Reichstag.Julian Miethig, who had attended the LGBTQ+ party, said he had just wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that 'something bad happened'.He said he went to Tiergarten and was shocked that something like this could have happened at Berlin's Pride celebrations. 'It's a dark day for the community,' he said.Meanwhile, Christian Gaebler, Berlin's Senator for Urban Development, has warned against speculating about the incident.He insisted it was too early to say if there was a motive behind the crash. 'It didn't even happen at the event itself, but actually in the Tiergarten,' he said.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the 'horrific act' has been fully investigated and he is understood to be in close contact with the country's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, in light of the events.A spokesman for the Chancellor said: 'His thoughts are with the victims.'Berlin's Queer Liaison Officer Alfonso Pantisano told Tagesspiegel: 'This is a day of great mourning for the queer community.'They must not allow themselves to be intimidated, especially now.' Witnesses reported seeing a white vehicle drive into revellers at speed, before a man got out of the vehicle with a bladed weapon, according to the German news outlet. Police spokesperson Alexander Klute said: 'At this point, we don't know anything about any possible motives, the identity of the perpetrator or the perpetrators, or anything of that nature.' The Mayor Berlin, Kai Wegner, has described the incident as 'an attack on our free and open society' The city's mayor, Kai Wegner, described the incident as 'an attack on our free and open society' Police work near the scene where one person was killed and around 15 injured after a car is believed to have hit a crowd on the outskirts of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) paradeIt comes as hundreds of thousands of people arrived in the capital city to celebrate at Berlin's Pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day.The Pride event, which is one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, was called off at around 10:15 pm (local time) amid celebrations.The word 'Evacuation' was displayed in bright colours on a large screen near the Brandenburg Gate.People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the Tiergarten park, with an Instagram post instructing them to leave in an 'orderly manner'.'Please avoid the Victory Column and the Tiergarten. Leave the area in the direction of the main train station,' the post read.Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city, dancing, and cheering as around 80 floats participated in the parade.