As of: December 21, 2024 7:56 a.m
After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, many questions remain unanswered – especially about the motives of the arrested suspect. Chancellor Scholz and Interior Minister Faeser want to come to the city today. A funeral service will take place in the evening.
One day after the crime that left two people dead and dozens injured, many questions remain unanswered – especially about the motives of the arrested suspect for the alleged attack. “We don’t yet know the background to the crime, we are taking everything into account,” said a police spokeswoman when asked.
Investigators believe it was a lone perpetrator
The investigative authorities continue to assume that the perpetrator was a lone perpetrator. The police said on “We currently have no evidence of accomplices,” said a spokeswoman. Among other things, searches would be carried out.
The spokeswoman said in the morning that a search was underway in Bernburg. She did not give any details. According to official information, the suspect was questioned that night.
On Friday evening, a car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. The authorities assume an attack. An adult and a small child were killed. At least 60 other people were injured, including two seriously injured. Prime Minister Rainer Haseloff said further deaths could not be ruled out. “This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and for the country and also for Germany in general,” said Haselhoff.
Man from Saudi Arabia
The 50-year-old from Saudi Arabia was found at the scene by emergency services and arrested. The suspect is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg, said Haseloff. According to current information, he is not known to the authorities as an Islamist. According to Haseloff, the perpetrator drove a rental car into the crowd at the Christmas market.
According to research by WDR and NDR He is said to be a very prominent figure in the Saudi exile community and was considered a contact person for asylum seekers, especially women. He has had asylum status as a political refugee since 2016. Statements that the man is said to have made on social media until recently provide evidence that he may have felt persecuted and that he feared the Islamization of Germany.
Memorial service in the evening
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was horrified. “The anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was suddenly interrupted by the reports from Magdeburg,” he explained. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his thoughts were with the victims and their families. He thanked “the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.” Numerous other politicians made similar statements. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser promised the state government of Saxony-Anhalt federal help in the investigation.
After a phone call with Zieschang, Faeser explained that she had “promised all possible support from the federal government” to her colleague. Scholz and Faeser are coming to the state capital in Saxony-Anhalt today.
There will be a memorial service for the victims in Magdeburg Cathedral in the evening. The aim is to give those affected, relatives and all other citizens an opportunity to mourn, said Mayor Simone Borris in tears in front of journalists in the evening. “We will need a long time to mourn,” she said, visibly stunned. “We will work through everything comprehensively.” City spokesman Michael Reif said it was “an attack.”
