Even the morning after the attack in Magdeburg, much is still unclear. “We don’t yet know the background to the crime,” said the police. However, the authorities assume that the attacker was a lone perpetrator. Chancellor Scholz wants to assess the situation on site today and there will be a memorial service in the evening.
After the death drive through the Magdeburg Christmas market with two deaths and dozens of injuries on Friday evening, many questions remain unanswered – especially about the motives of the arrested suspect. “We don’t yet know the background to the crime, we are taking everything into account,” said a police spokeswoman.
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.
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According to official information, the suspect was questioned that night. The 50-year-old from Saudi Arabia was found at the scene by emergency services and arrested. Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said that evening that he was a doctor and lived and worked in Bernburg. According to current information, he is not known to the authorities as an Islamist. The man drove a rental car into the crowd at the Christmas market. The ride on the site stretched over 400 meters. City spokesman Michael Reif spoke of an “attack”.
Scholz wants to discuss measures
Today Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser want to come to the state capital in Saxony-Anhalt. The Chancellor wanted to “evaluate the situation with us and certainly not only mourn with us, but also discuss the measures that are necessary,” said Haseloff. Faeser said she would come to Magdeburg with Scholz “to express our deep sympathy and thank the emergency services.” The SPD politician has recently repeatedly called for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets. She said at the end of November that there were currently no concrete signs of danger.
There will be a memorial service in the cathedral in the evening. We want to give those affected, relatives and all other citizens an opportunity to mourn, said Mayor Simone Borris in tears in the evening. “We will need a long time to mourn,” she said, visibly stunned. “We will work through everything comprehensively.”
Haseloff: A catastrophe for Germany
An adult and a small child were killed in the incident. There were also more than 60 injured, including several seriously injured. 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 the Prime Minister.
Chancellor Scholz wrote on Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Green Party was also horrified and spoke of a cowardly attack. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked the rescue workers and wrote: “The anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was suddenly interrupted by the reports from Magdeburg.”
According to his own words, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte contacted Chancellor Scholz and expressed his condolences. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Rutte wrote on X. “NATO stands on Germany's side.” The United Nations also expressed its condolences. People were shocked, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack. “My thoughts today are with the victims of the brutal and cowardly act in Magdeburg,” she wrote on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron also wrote on X that France shares the pain of the German people. The USA assured its solidarity. The US is ready to provide support, said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. The designated US Vice President JD Vance was also affected by X: “What a terrible attack so close to Christmas.” Saudi Arabia also condemned the deadly attack. “The Kingdom expresses its solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims,” the Foreign Ministry wrote at X.
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.
In other cities with Christmas markets, the police are now being particularly careful. 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.
