A police investigation is underway after a car “drove at high speed” into crowds at a Christmas market in Germany.
According to local authorities, at least two people were killed, including a small child, and dozens of others were injured following the crash in Magdeburg.
They say the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first arrived in Germany in 2006.
Here's what we know so far:
Initial response
The accident occurred at the Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, located about 160 kilometers west of Berlin, the German capital.
The city is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of approximately 240,000 inhabitants.
Police were called to the market shortly after 7pm.
Attack site. Photo: Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP
In their initial report, published in X, they wrote: “Intensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market.
“The Christmas market in the city center is closed. More reports will be sent.”
Images emerge
Videos later posted on social media showed a large police presence at the scene.
A recording of CCTV footage, which Sky News has not yet been able to verify, later appeared to show a black vehicle running over people in the market.
Another appeared to show injured people on the ground and people trying to help them.
Footage then emerged taken from a balcony near the scene, appearing to show a man being taken away and arrested by police.
How many people died?
The number of dead and injured was not yet clear, although the premier of the Saxony-Anhalt region Reiner Haseloff said two people had been killed and at least 68 injured.
One of those who died was a small child, he said.
Photo: AP
Photo: AP
Deputy Mayor Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz had earlier said one person had died and more than 50 were injured, German news agency dpa reported.
A city spokesperson said all hospitals in Magdeburg were preparing for a “mass casualty event”.
And the suspect?
Saxony-Anhalt's Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first arrived in Germany in 2006.
The German newspaper Welt, citing security sources, also reported that the suspect was a man from Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, DPA, citing security sources, reported that the man was not previously known to the security services.
What was the response in Germany?
Politicians and leading figures in the German government shared their grief following the accident.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on the social network X: “My thoughts go to the victims and their families.
“We are at your side and at the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks to the dedicated first responders in these anxious hours.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote in X: “The news from Magdeburg is deeply shocking. Emergency services are doing everything they can to care for the injured and save lives.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The security authorities will clarify the background.”
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck wrote: “What terrible news comes from Magdeburg, where people wanted to spend the Advent season in peace and community.
“My thoughts go out to the victims and their families. I thank all the emergency services on site who are doing everything they can to help.”
Other people outside Germany also expressed their condolences. In a post on X, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote: “We pray for the families of the victims.”
