On Friday evening, a driver crashed his car into a crowd of customers at a busy German Christmas market, killing two and injured at least 68 in a suspected premeditated attack.
An large police operation is underway in the aftermath of the market attack in the German city of Magdeburg, which occurred about 7 p.m. local time.
According to Saxony-Anhalt state governor Reiner Haseloff, one of the fatalities is a little child.
The suspect is believed to be a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has been in Germany since 2006, according to Saxony-Anhalt interior minister Tamara Zieschang. Local media refers to him as Taleb. A.
The suspect is in police custody.
“This is a terrible event, especially in the days before Christmas,” Haseloff stated previously.
Chancellor OIaf Scholz wrote on X, “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.” “We stand with them and the people of Magdeburg.”
How many people have died or injured?
Officials verified that at least two persons died in the terrible tragedy. One of those deceased was a small youngster.
According to government officials and the local government’s website, at least 68 individuals have been injured, with 15 of them badly hurt.
It stated that 37 people received somewhat severe injuries and 16 were lightly hurt.
Haseloff was unable to rule out additional deaths because to the large number of people who had been gravely hurt.
“Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many,” Haseloff told reporters.
According to dpa, Magdeburg’s University Hospital is now treating 10 to 20 patients but is preparing for more.
Who is the suspect?
The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, initially arrived in Germany in 2006, according to Saxony-Anhalt interior minister Tamara Zieschang.
German media have referred to him as Taleb A. He was recognised as a refugee in 2016 and now works as a psychiatric and psychotherapy consultant in Bernburg, a nearby town.
“The perpetrator has been arrested,” Zieschang stated. “He is a 50-year-old Saudi guy who first arrived in the Federal Republic of Germany in 2006. He had a permanent residence permit.
The black BMW was seen smashed up at the scene, behind a police cordon.
Authorities believe the suspect acted alone.
“As things stand, he is the sole perpetrator, so as far as we know, there is no further threat to the city,” Haseloff said during a news conference.
According to German public broadcaster MDR, police feared bombs were in the suspect’s car, but following a closer investigation, no explosives were located.
‘Fairytale’ market turns into ‘war-like’ scenes
A witness told German newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that she and her children rushed out of the way of the speeding car as it crashed into the gathering.
The neighborhood was described as a “fairytale” by an anonymous witness prior to the attack.
A burger stand owner told the newspaper that the motorist sped by his stall and characterized the aftermath as “war-like.”
Another witness informed Bild that her partner was hit and she is desperately looking for him.
The woman, Nadine, 32, told the newspaper that she had her arm around him as the automobile approached them.
“He was hit and dragged away from my side.” He was awful. Nobody even screamed. You could not even hear the car.”
She stated that her boyfriend got head and leg injuries and that she has no idea where he is. “We don’t know which hospital he went to,” she commented. “The uncertainty is unbearable.”
Where is the Christmas market?
The Christmas market is located in Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin. It is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt, with a population of 240,000.
On the last Friday before Christmas, the big market was crowded with shoppers.
It was evacuated immediately following the attack, and organisers have encouraged the public to avoid the area.
Footage from a cordoned-off area of the market revealed rubble from festive stalls on the ground.
Just yesterday, a service commemorating the eighth anniversary of an attack on a Berlin Christmas market was held. Anis Amri’s 2016 attack killed 13 people and injured dozens more when he drove into a crowd.
