What happened?:
At least two people, an adult and a small child, were killed in an attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market. Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff also spoke of a lot of injuries, at least 60.
Since some were seriously injured, further deaths cannot be ruled out. “This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and for the country and also for Germany in general,” said Haseloff. The police spoke of 15 seriously injured people.
What is currently known about the perpetrator:
The arrested suspect is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg (Saxony-Anhalt). According to previous findings, he was a lone perpetrator and was not known to the authorities as an Islamist, said Prime Minister Haseloff. “As things stand, he is a single perpetrator, so as things stand, there is no further danger to the city because we were able to arrest him and all investigations are now underway.” State Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said the man came from Saudi Arabia, that he came to Germany for the first time in 2006 and that he had a permanent residence permit.
According to Haseloff, the perpetrator drove a rental car into the crowd at the Christmas market. Sirens everywhere, blue lights, fire brigade: A reporter from the German Press Agency reported that the Christmas market was swarming with ambulances and paramedics. Injured people were treated at a large Christmas pyramid.
How the care of the injured is going:
A spokesman for the university hospital told the German Press Agency that the first patients had already been treated. However, expect significantly more injuries. “We are currently upgrading,” said the spokesman. “Intensive care beds are ready.”
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Legend:
Rescue workers arrived at the Magdeburg Christmas market after the suspected attack.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Dörthe Hein
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Legend:
Numerous paramedics are on duty.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Heiko Rebsch
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Legend:
There is a large shopping center near the Christmas market.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Heiko Rebsch
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Legend:
According to media reports, the arrested driver is said to have driven around 400 meters across the Christmas market.
Heiko Rebsch/dpa
Prime Minister Haseloff also thanked all helpers and emergency services: “And my deepest regret and sympathy to all the relatives and all those affected, who were completely torn out of their lives by the shock, even if they were not personally affected.” Everyone now has to process what happened together. The CDU politician continued that the care of the injured was being carried out with maximum capacity and resources. “I have to say, everything is going really smoothly. And yet there is still a situation to be noted here that cannot be conclusively assessed.”
Reactions from politics:
According to Prime Minister Haseloff, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Magdeburg on Saturday. “The Chancellor will stop by on Saturday and assess the situation with us and will certainly not only mourn with us, but also discuss the measures that are necessary,” said Haseloff on Friday evening in Magdeburg. “And I can imagine that due to the seriousness of this attack, the Federal Prosecutor General will also take action.” Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has recently repeatedly called for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets. There are currently no concrete indications of danger, said the SPD politician at the end of November.
“The news from Magdeburg is deeply shocking,” wrote Faeser after the attack on X. And: “The security authorities will clarify the background.” Chancellor Scholz also wrote on X: “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by your side and by the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Federal President Viola Amherd was shocked by the crime in Magdeburg.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives,” Amherd wrote on the short message service X. Switzerland stands by Germany’s side in these difficult hours.
Commemoration in the cathedral on Saturday evening:
After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, there will be a memorial hour in Magdeburg Cathedral on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. We want to give those affected, relatives and all other citizens an opportunity to mourn, said Magdeburg Mayor Simone Borris in tears in front of journalists on Friday evening. “We will need a long time to mourn,” she said, visibly stunned. “We will work through everything comprehensively.”
Around eight years after the Berlin Christmas market attack:
Almost exactly eight years ago to the day, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a hijacked truck into the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. 12 people were killed, the 13th victim died as a result in 2021. More than 70 people were injured. The assassin fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police. The police are now also being particularly careful in other cities with Christmas markets. In Stuttgart, a police spokesman said that police forces had been sensitized on site. In Berlin, a spokesman said officials had been asked to pay more attention to Christmas markets.
