As police conducted a manhunt for the suspect who carried out a vehicle ramming attack at Berlin's annual Pride event on 25 July, the information vacuum surrounding the incident was rapidly filled with false claims and misleading social media posts.
One woman was killed and at least 29 others injured after a white van drove into a crowd along a pedestrian pathway in a forested area near the main Pride parade.
The day after the attack, officials released a photograph of the suspect, known as 21-year old Abdul B, who was shot dead that evening in a police operation.
Despite speculation that he acted with accomplices, authorities said they saw no indication of an ongoing threat once the suspect was shot.
As investigators worked to piece together key events and details of the attack, unverified claims including false reports of a bomb threat, the arrest of the suspect and the misidentification of an unrelated man, spread online.
Organisers initially announced the main Pride event was cancelled shortly after 10.00pm and asked people to evacuate due to a “difficult situation.”
Less than an hour after the attack, anonymous posts on X claimed that the event was evacuated due to an “alleged bomb threat” despite there being no official...
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