What we know about the Magdeburg Christmas market attack
ReutersA man rammed a car into a group of shoppers at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday night.
The attack killed five people and injured more than 200, many of them seriously.
A man has been arrested over the attack and police believe he bears full responsibility.
How did the attack unfold?
Unconfirmed video on social media showed a black BMW driving at high speed on the pavement between Christmas stalls.
Witnesses described jumping out of the car’s path, running away or hiding. Police arrived at the scene and pursued the car, a person told Reuters.
Footage later showed armed police confronting and arresting a man who can be seen lying on the ground next to a stationary vehicle – a black BMW with severe damage to the front bumper and windscreen .
Damian McGuinness, the BBC’s Magdeburg correspondent, said the market was surrounded by concrete blocks. However, there is a gap that allows pedestrians to pass but is also large enough for cars to pass through.
Who are the victims?
Five people were confirmed dead in the attack, one of them a child.
More than 200 people have been injured, at least 41 in serious condition.
The death toll was earlier reported as two dead and 68 injured, but the total was revised to higher on Saturday morning.
None of the victims have yet been identified.
Who is the suspect?
German media identified the suspect as Taleb A, a psychiatrist who lives in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.
The motive behind the attack was unclear, but authorities reported they believed he carried out the attack alone.
Originally from Saudi Arabia, he arrived in Germany in 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser told reporters it was “clear” the suspect held “Islamophobic” views.
The suspect was an outspoken critic of Islam on social media and promoted conspiracy theories that German authorities allegedly wanted to Islamize Europe.
A report in Der Spiegel stated that Taleb A complained to the authorities a year ago, but officials believed that Taleb A’s remarks did not constitute a specific threat.
ReutersWhat did officials say about the attack?
“The reports coming out of Magdeburg raise the gravest concerns,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on social media platform X.
According to German public broadcaster MDR, Magdeburg City Councilor for Public Order Ronni Krug said that the Christmas market will remain closed and “Christmas in Magdeburg is over.”
That sentiment was echoed on the market’s website, which after the attack featured only a black screen with words of condolence declaring the market was over.
In a statement from X, the Saudi government expressed “solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims” and “affirmed its rejection of violence.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “shocked by the brutal attack in Magdeburg” and posted on Friday night’s X that his thoughts were with “the victims, their families and all those affected” influence people”.
