A car has been driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in eastern Germany in a suspected attack that has killed an adult and a small child.
The vehicle was driven into a group of people at the market in Magdeburg on Friday.
At least two people were killed and 68 were injured, including 15 who were hurt very seriously, according to government officials. It said 37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.
An adult and a small child are the two dead, Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said
The driver of the car was arrested. State governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was an attack.
Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
An “extensive police operation” is underway and the market was closed, according to local authorities.
Explosive device suspected in perpetrator’s vehicle – reports
The Magdeburg police have cordoned off the site because they suspected an explosive device in the perpetrator’s vehicle, according to German broadcaster MDR.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 21:27
Suspect believed to be 50-year-old Saudi doctor
State governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 21:20
Citizens’ phone line set up for those affected and their families
The Magdeburg police have set up a citizens’ telephone line at 0391 – 546 1690 for those affected and their relatives.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 21:16
Eyewitness: ‘War-like conditions’
An anonymous eyewitness told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that the perpetrator “drove into the ‘Fairy Tale’ area of the Magdeburg Christmas market,” and that there were many families present. She and her child were able to jump to the side of the vehicle.
A restaurateur said that the driver raced directly past his burger stand. He says the conditions are ‘war-like’.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 21:07
Christmas market in Erfurt evacuated after Magdeburg attack
A Christmas market in Erfurt has been evacuated as a precaution after the attack in Magdeburg. Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) confirmed that this measure was taken at the request of the organiser, and there were no threats of specific danger.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 21:01
One person was killed and more than 50 injured, officials say
The deputy mayor of the Germany city of Magdeburg said that at least one person was killed and dozens were injured after a car plowed into a busy Christmas market in what authorities suspect was an attack. Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz said that more than 50 people were injured, German news agency dpa reported. Authorities say the driver of the car was arrested.
Jabed Ahmed20 December 2024 20:52
