Germany: Magdeburg Christmas market attack kills two, injures over 60; one arrested

Published on Authored by C to I News Desk

At least two people were killed, and scores were injured when a black BMW ploughed into a busy Christmas open market in Germany on Friday, December 20. German authorities have called it a deliberate attack.

The attacker (lying on the ground) was arrested from the spot. Photo courtesy: Screengrab from YouTube.
The attacker (lying on the ground) was arrested from the spot. Photo courtesy: Screengrab from YouTube.

The incident took place in the eastern German city of Magdeburg around 7pm. According to reports, one person was arrested from the scene following the attack, which left 68 people injured, 15 of whom are stated to be serious.

The arrested individual has been identified as a 50-year-old man of Saudi Arabian-origin, who moved to Germany in 2006 and had a permanent residence permit, reports said, citing German lawmaker Tamara Zieschang.

The attacker has been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometres south of Magdeburg, reports said.

Meanwhile, officials have said that the death toll, now comprising a toddler and an adult, could increase due to the severity of injury of several victims wounded in the attack.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the incident while condoling the loss. In a tweet, translated to English, it said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the run-over incident that occurred in a market in the city of Magdeburg in the Federal Republic of Germany, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of people, expressing its solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims.”

According to a report by The Guardian, the attacker used a rented car and was “not known to authorities as having an Islamist background”.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s translated tweet read.