Click here for the latest developments related to the Magdeburg Christmas market attack.
A car was driven into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday night.
Two people have been killed, according to Saxony-Anhalt’s state premier, Reiner Haseloff, who said at least 60 more had been injured, many seriously.
Haseloff said police arrested the driver, a Saudi national, and believed he acted alone. Magdeburg police announced an online arrest.
Haseloff said the man was a doctor with permanent resident status and had lived in Gerguyy since 2006. He had used a rented car in the attack.
The authorities have closed the Christmas market and there are emergencies in the place.
A spokesperson for Magdeburg University Hospital told DPA that the first 10 to 20 patients had already arrived at the centre, adding: “Lately we are preparing [to get more]. The intensive care beds are ready. “
Friday’s incident was reminiscent of the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016. This crime, carried out by an Islamist aboard a stolen truck, left thirteen dead and more than 70 injured.
Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate for the conservative CDU, said he was saddened by the news from Magdeburg.
“My mind is with the sick and their families. I want to thank all the emergency services who care about the injured at the scene,” he said.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck was also surprised by the “terrible news coming from Magdeburg, where other people wanted to spend the Advent season in peace and community. My mind is with the sick and their families. “
Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted to the X incident by saying that “the news from Magdeburg suggests the worst. ” He also expressed his gratitude to the first responders.
“The expectation of a non-violent Christmas birthday party was interrupted by the news from Magdeburg,” said German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Magdeburg, a city west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and is home to around 240,000 people.
js,nm/msh (dpa, AP, Reuters)