Magdeburg, Germany, Dec 21. (dpa/GNA) – At least two people were killed, including a small child, and at least 60 injured after a man, drove a car into a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, authorities said.
The suspect, who is in police custody, is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg, a town south of Magdeburg, said Saxony-Anhalt state premier Reiner Haseloff, adding that a rental car was used to smash into the crowd.
The man is believed to have acted alone, he said.
Tamara Zieschang, the state interior minister, said the suspect was originally from Saudi Arabia, had been in Germany since 2006, and had permanent residency.
Security sources told dpa the suspect is around 50 years old, and had not been on law enforcement’s radar as a known Islamist.
Authorities have yet to speculate on the motive behind the suspected attack. They have also not named him.
“This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg, for the state and for Germany in general,” said state premier Haseloff.
Magdeburg is a city of some 237,000 people in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is located about 150 kilometres west of Berlin.
The chaotic scenes that unfolded on Friday, recalled the events that took place almost exactly eight years in the German capital.
On December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist used a hijacked lorry to crash into a Christmas market in central Berlin. Twelve people were killed, with a 13th victim dying in 2021 as a result of their injuries. More than 70 people were hurt. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by police.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, had recently made repeated calls for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets, although she said in late November that there was currently no concrete evidence of a threat.
“We still have reason to be very vigilant and act consistently to ensure our security,” Faeser said at the time.
In Magdeburg, emergency vehicles flooded the market in the centre of the city, not far from city hall. Medics treated injured people lying on the ground in front of the stalls. Tents were also set up where the hurt could be cared for.
Many people were rushed to the Magdeburg University Hospital, where a spokesman said staff had quickly geared up to handle a mass casualty event.
The identities of the two fatalities have not been revealed.
A memorial service is to be held in Magdeburg’s cathedral on Saturday at 7 pm (1800 GMT).
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was expected to travel to Magdeburg on Saturday.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg,” Scholz wrote on X.
“My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Condolences also immediately began pouring in from abroad, with leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg all expressing their shock at the events in Germany.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said her “thoughts are with the victims” after the “brutal and cowardly” attack, in a post on X.
Von der Leyen, a German conservative politician who leads the EU’s executive arm, called for the “act of violence” to be “investigated and severely punished.”
GNA