At least two people were killed and dozens injured after a car plowed into a busy Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany on Friday. Authorities said it was a deliberate attack.
Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Rainer Haseloff told a press conference at the scene in Magdeburg that the suspect is a 50-year-old doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006. He said the man had an indefinite stay and work permit. in the country.
Khazelov called it a “single attack”. He said at least 60 were injured and they could not rule out further deaths.
The driver of the car was arrested, the German news agency dpa reported, citing unidentified officials of the state government of Saxony-Anhalt. Regional government spokesman Matthias Schuppe and city representative Michael Reif said they suspect it was a deliberate act.
Reif said there were “many wounded,” but he did not give an exact number.
“The photos are horrible,” he said. “My information is that the visitors of the Christmas fair were hit by a car, but I can't say yet from which side and how far.”
Magdeburg University Hospital said it was receiving between 10 and 20 patients but was preparing for more, dpa reported.
Sirens from emergency services clashed with the market's festive decorations, including ornaments, stars and leaf garlands adorning vendor booths. Footage from the cordoned-off part of the market shows litter on the ground.
Craig Stennett/Getty Images
“It's a terrible event, especially now, right before Christmas,” Haseloff said. Khazelov told dpa that he was on his way to Magdeburg, but could not immediately provide information about the victims or what was behind the incident.
Young Chancellor Scholz Posted on X: “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We are close to them and close to the people of Magdeburg.”
Magdeburg, located west of Berlin, is the capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
The alleged attack comes eight years after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. December 19, 2016 an Islamic extremist drove through a crowded Christmas with a truck13 people died and dozens were injured. The attacker was killed a few days later in a shootout in Italy.
Christmas markets are a huge part of German culture as an annual holiday tradition that has been cherished since the Middle Ages and successfully exported to much of the Western world. In Berlin alone, more than 100 markets opened at the end of last month, bringing the smell of mulled wine, roasted almonds and sugar to the capital. There are many other markets throughout the country.
German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser said late last month that there were no concrete signs of danger for Christmas markets this year, but it would be wise to be vigilant. She said on social media on Friday“The news from Magdeburg is very shocking. Emergency services are doing everything they can to help victims and save lives. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
This is a developing story. Please check updates.