Magdeburg: At least two dead and 60 injured in suspected attack on Christmas market

SZ.de Magdeburg: At least two dead and 60 injured in suspected attack on Christmas market Christoph Koopmann, David Kulessa and Philipp Saul • 35 million • 3 minutes reading time A large contingent of firefighters and rescue workers are caring for the victims. A man apparently races hundreds of meters through the Christmas market in his car. He is then arrested. The first details about the driver have now been released. At least two dead and 60 injured in suspected attack on Christmas market In Magdeburg, a man killed at least two people and injured 60 others, some of them seriously, in a suspected attack on the Christmas market. Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff announced this in the "Tagesthemen" program. He did not rule out that the number of deaths could rise. The man drove a car into a crowd, the authorities said. The driver has been arrested, Saxony-Anhalt government spokesman Matthias Schuppe told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. It was "probably an assassination attempt", but there is no confirmed information yet. According to city spokesman Michael Reif, the initial information was an "attack on the Christmas market". According to SZ information, the suspected assassin was born in Saudi Arabia, and the vehicle used in the attack was a rental car. According to information from security circles, the motive has not yet been clarified. The German Press Agency reports that the man is around 50 years old and was not previously known to be an Islamist. The MDR quotes a police spokesman as saying that the suspected perpetrator raced "at least 400 meters across the Christmas market" in his car. A video that has been widely shared on social networks shows a black car racing through a crowd at high speed. The recording is supposed to show the attack, but it cannot currently be verified. The MDR also reports on the radio that they have been able to verify a video of the suspected assassin's arrest. The first ten to 20 patients are already being cared for at the Magdeburg University Hospital, said a dpa spokesman. However, they are preparing for significantly more injured people. "We are currently gearing up," said the spokesman. "Intensive care beds are ready." The university hospital is in contact with other hospitals in Saxony-Anhalt to coordinate the care of the injured. The Magdeburg Christmas market is located on the Old Market, right next to Magdeburg City Hall near the Elbe. There is a large shopping center nearby. The Christmas market is closed, the police said. Tram traffic has also been stopped. Numerous rescue workers are deployed in the area. Paramedics are caring for the injured who are lying on the ground in front of the market stalls, a dpa reporter reported. Tents have been set up to care for the injured. Blue lights can be seen everywhere. Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) reacted with horror: "This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas," Haseloff told the German Press Agency. He now wants to see the situation for himself and is on his way to Magdeburg in his car. Haseloff was initially unable to provide any information about the victims or the background to the incident. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wrote on the X platform: "The reports from Magdeburg suggest something terrible is about to happen. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the committed rescue workers in these anxious hours." Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was abruptly interrupted by the reports from Magdeburg. The case triggers memories of the attack on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz. Almost exactly eight years ago, on December 19, 2016, the Islamist Anis Amri carried out a terrorist attack there. Amri drove a stolen truck into a crowd and killed 13 people; 67 other visitors were injured, some seriously. The terrorist organization "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the attack. Amri managed to escape and was shot dead a few days later while on the run in Italy.