Berlin: At least two people were killed on Friday evening when a speeding driver drove his car into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg.
At least 60 people were injured, said Rainer Hesloff, the premier of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where Magdeburg is the capital. Hesloff added that a small child was among the dead.
Police have arrested the suspected attacker, who Heslov described as a doctor from Saudi Arabia who was working alone.
“It’s a terrible tragedy. It’s a disaster for the city of Magdeburg, for the state and for Germany in general,” Hesloff said.
Police declined to give a death toll, only confirming a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said the reports indicated something bad had happened.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he wrote in a post on social media platform X.
A video posted on social media from a position above the market shows a car speeding through a crowd walking between two rows of market stalls.
People can be seen falling to the ground and running away. Reuters was able to confirm the location, with files matching trees, outlines and building designs, and satellite imagery of the area.
Late last month, German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser advised people to be vigilant at Christmas markets.
Eight years ago, a truck belonging to failed Tunisian asylum seeker Ines Amri crashed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.