Scholz and Faeser come to Magdeburg

There will be a memorial service the day after the dramatic scenes at the Christmas market in Saxony-Anhalt. Chancellor Scholz and Interior Minister Faeser come to Magdeburg.

After the death journey through the Magdeburg Christmas market, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (both SPD) want to come to the state capital in Saxony-Anhalt today. There will be a memorial service in the cathedral 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.

According to the police, the investigating authorities are currently assuming that the attacker was a lone perpetrator. 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 Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU). 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 “Bild”, citing the police, the journey on the site stretched over 400 meters.

Haseloff: Chancellor will assess the situation

Haseloff said in the evening: “The Chancellor will stop by tomorrow and assess the situation with us and will certainly not only mourn with us, but also discuss the measures that are necessary.” Federal Interior Minister Faeser announced that she would follow up with Scholz today Magdeburg are coming “to express our deep sympathy and to thank the emergency services.” Faeser 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.

Mayor in tears

The crime – almost exactly eight years to the day after the attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Memorial Church – killed an adult and a small child. According to the police, there were over 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.

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 examine everything comprehensively.” City spokesman Michael Reif said it was “an attack.”

Scholz: Thoughts are with the victims

Chancellor Scholz wrote on Platform 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.” Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) 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,” wrote Rutte on Platform X. “NATO stands with Germany.” 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 Platform X.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that France shares the pain of the German people. He was deeply shocked by “the horror” that struck the Christmas market. 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 in a statement on X. In the statement, the country did not mention the suspect, who comes from Saudi Arabia.

Video is said to show the suspect being arrested

Shortly after the crime, a dpa reporter reported that the Christmas market was swarming with ambulances and paramedics. Injured people were treated at a large Christmas pyramid. Several injured people were carried away.

A cell phone video is said to show the suspect's arrest. In the clip you can see a police officer pointing his gun at the suspect and calling for him to lie down: “Hands behind your back!” and “Stay down!” The man lies down next to a black – visibly damaged – car the floor and follows the instructions. Finally reinforcements arrive, several police officers jump out of the emergency vehicle and circle around the suspect lying on the ground. The police officer tells his colleagues not to “get so close.”

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.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:241221-930-324365/3