At least 2 killed, 60 injured after car rams into Christmas market in Germany - UPDATED
A car drove into a crowd of people who were at the Christmas market on Friday night. Photo: Dörthe Hein/picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild
At least two people were killed and 60 others injured after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market Friday in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.
Saxony-Anhalt’s Premier Reiner Haseloff said an adult and a child were killed in the “attack.” He warned that the toll could rise, as several victims suffered severe injuries, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.According to regional broadcaster MDR, nearly 70 victims were hospitalized, including 15 with life-threatening injuries.
The attack occurred at around 19.04 local time (1804GMT) in the popular Christmas market at Magdeburg's city center. Videos on social media showed a dark car speeding into the crowd, sending people fleeing in panic and causing chaos at the festive gathering.
Haseloff confirmed that the driver was arrested immediately after the incident. “We have apprehended the perpetrator, he is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who works here in Saxony-Anhalt, and has been in Germany since 2006,” he told reporters.
Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive but a preliminary investigation indicates there were no other suspects involved in the attack.
Police maintained a heavy security presence at the Christmas market and cordoned off the area to secure the crime scene. Local authorities urged residents to avoid the area while investigations were ongoing.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
A car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday night, reportedly resulting in at least one fatality,
Multiple people were also reportedly injured in the incident, News.az reports, citing DW.
Police have taken the driver into custody, according to local government sources.
Authorities have closed the Christmas market and emergency services are at the scene.
"This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," the premier of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, said as he headed to Magdeburg.
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe said he suspected the incident was an attack.
Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate for the conservative CDU, said he was saddened by the news from Magdeburg.
"My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I would like to thank all the emergency services taking care of the injured on site," he said.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck also expressed shock about the "terrible news from Magdeburg, where people wanted to spend the Advent season in peace and community. My thoughts are with the victims and their families."
Magdeburg, a city west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and is home to around 240,000 people.
Similar news
