A festive Christmas market in Eastern Germany erupted into chaos after a car was driven into a group of people in the city of Magdeburg on Friday in a suspected terrorist attack.
Between 60 and 80 people have been injured, according to a spokesperson for the local rescue service, as reported by AFP as officials continue to investigate the incident.
Several of the injured are said to be in critical condition, and multiple reports citing the German public broadcaster MDR, said at least two people had been killed, one of the two reportedly a child.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called the incident an “attack,” writing in a social media post: “We are horrified by the attack today in Magdeburg, Germany. We send our condolences to those affected and stand by our friend and Ally Germany.”
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Rescue workers in action at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Photo: Dörthe Hein/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa (Photo by Dörthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Dörthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In an update on social media, the Magdeburg Police Department said in a translated post that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor. They said their current assumption is that he was a “lone perpetrator.”
The BBC reported the driver drove some 400 meters across the market before he was subdued by police officers who pointed guns at him and reportedly yelled at him not to move.
The local police force took to X to confirm that, “Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market.
“The Christmas market in the city center is closed,” it added. “Further reports will be made.”
German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, did not provide any updates, but in a message posted to X in German said, “The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad is about to happen.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he added. “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.”
WATCH:
Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP) (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)
The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, assured market goers last month that though there were no indications of any danger in attending the Christmas markets, it was best to remain vigilant, reported the Independent.
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The incident involving a vehicle driving through a Christmas market echoed previous attacks carried out in Germany, including in 2016 when a truck drove through a holiday market in Berlin and killed 12 people, as well as injuring some 50 others, in what the White House at the time said it believed was a terrorist attack.
This story is developing.
