ReutersA man drove a car into a crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening.
Five people, including a nine-year-old child, were killed and more than 200 injured in the attack, many of them in critical condition.
A judge has ordered a 50-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assault to be detained before trial.
Police believe he acted alone.
How did the attack happen?
At 19:02 local time (18:02 GMT), the first call to emergency services was made.
The caller reported that a car drove into a crowd at a downtown Christmas market.
Police said the caller assumed it was an accident, but it soon became clear that was not the case.
Police said the driver used the traffic lights to turn off the road and cross the pedestrian crossing, leading to the market through an entry point reserved for emergency vehicles. Many people were injured on the way.
Unverified footage on social media shows the driver speeding down a pedestrian walkway between Christmas stalls.
Witnesses described jumping, running or hiding out of the way of the car.
The driver then returned to the road the way he came and was forced to stop in traffic, police said. Officers already at the market were able to catch and arrest the driver here.
Footage shows armed police confronting and arresting a man who can be seen lying on the ground next to a stationary vehicle – a black BMW with extensive damage to its front bumper and windscreen.
The police said that the whole incident was over in three minutes.
Who are the victims?
A nine-year-old boy and four women have been confirmed dead in this attack.
More than 200 people have been injured and at least 41 of them are in critical condition.
The toll was earlier reported as two dead and 68 injured, but was revised early Saturday morning.
None of the victims have yet been identified, but police in Magdeburg said late Saturday that they were aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 years.
Who is the accused?
According to the BBC, local media reports have identified the suspect as Talib Al Mohsen.
He is a 50-year-old Saudi-born psychiatrist who lives in Berenburg, 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of Magdeburg.
Police say he has been remanded in custody on suspicion of five counts of murder, several counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.
The motive behind the attack is still unclear but authorities have reported that they believe he carried out the attack alone.
Abdul Mohsen came to Germany in 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.
German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser told reporters it was “clear to see” that the suspect had “Islamophobic” views.
The suspect is an outspoken critic of Islam on social media, and has promoted conspiracy theories about an alleged plot by German authorities to Islamize Europe.
Magdeburg Police Chief Tom Oliver Langhans said police had previously assessed whether the suspect posed a potential threat, but that discussion was over a year ago.
One of these reports is believed to have come from Saudi Arabian authorities.
A source close to the Saudi government told the BBC that it had sent four official notifications, known as “notices verbales”, to German authorities, warning them of what they described as Abdul Mohsen’s “extremely extremist views”. “were
However, a counter-terrorism expert told the BBC that the Saudis had launched a disinformation campaign to discredit someone who who tried to help young Saudi women gain political asylum in Germany.
Holger Münch, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), told public broadcaster ZDF that his office received a notice from Saudi Arabia in November 2023. He said the local police took appropriate investigative steps, but the case was non-specific.
He added that the suspect had “various interactions with authorities, insulted and threatened them, but was not known for violent acts”.
ReutersWhat have the authorities said about the attack?
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said on social media platform X, “The reports from Magdeburg give rise to the worst fears.
According to German public broadcaster MDR, Magdeburg’s city councilor for public order, Ronny Krug, said the Christmas market would remain closed and that “Christmas is over in Magdeburg”.
That sentiment was echoed on the market’s website, which after the attack showed only a black screen with words of mourning, announcing that the market had closed.
In a statement on X, the Saudi government expressed “solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims” and “confirmed its rejection of violence”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled by the brutal attack in Magdeburg”, adding that his thoughts were with “the victims, their families and all those affected” on Friday night at the X. In a post.