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- Feb 7, 2022
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Scores of people were injured and at least two people, including a small child, were killed on Friday after a car ploughed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, in what local officials are describing as a terror attack.
At least 68 other people were injured, including 15 who were left in a critical state, according to the city government.
In the attack, a black BMW drove straight into the crowd at the Christmas market, travelling at speed for 400 metres in the direction of the town hall, according to eyewitnesses cited by the broadcaster.
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The man arrested has been identified as Taleb A., a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia.
Saxony-Anhalt’s leader Reiner Haseloff said the man had been living in Germany since 2006. The suspect, a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy, was recognised as a refugee in 2016.
Some German media pointed to the suspect’s past social media posts in which he reportedly expressed views critical of Islam and had even warned of the “dangers” of an Islamisation of Germany.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,” Haseloff said.
The suspect rented the car shortly before the attack, according to reports citing a security source, and was not known to authorities as having an Islamist background.
Germany Christmas market attack: death toll rises to five with hundreds injured – latest
Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the deadly attack in Magdeburg as a “terrible, insane act”.
He said there is “no place more peaceful and cheerful than a Christmas market,” where people go with friends and family to enjoy a gluhwein (hot punch) and seek some contemplation and joy.
“What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality.”
Earlier, he and ministers from his government laid flowers at the site of the attack.
Scholz: 40 people so badly injured that we have to be very concerned
Scholz has just addressed journalists on the market square.
He said he had been informed about the extent of the attack and was shocked at the scale of it.
“Almost 40 people are so badly injured that we have to be very concerned about them,” he said.
Leader of Saxony Anhalt state Reiner Haseloff describes the scene as “an unimaginable incident”.
Haselhof says the scale of the attack is much bigger than previously thought, with the death toll having risen to five and the extent of those injured much larger than the estimates given last night.
He says that the attack is now part of Magdeburg’s history and will shape the identity of the city. He says the scale of the attack is also huge for the entire country.
He thanks the emergency workers, without whose work the situation could have been much much worse, he says.
He says this evening the cathedral in Magdeburg will hold a ceremony to bring together the citizens of Magdeburg.
He says “security will be something about which there need to be much clearer discussions in the future, but the time for that is not now”.
He adds: “Now is the time for mourning. Protecting Germany’s freedom and democracy remains a clear aim, which is connected with the process of mourning. Let us try to overcome this together.”
Source: The Guardian
At least 68 other people were injured, including 15 who were left in a critical state, according to the city government.
In the attack, a black BMW drove straight into the crowd at the Christmas market, travelling at speed for 400 metres in the direction of the town hall, according to eyewitnesses cited by the broadcaster.
=====
The man arrested has been identified as Taleb A., a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia.
Saxony-Anhalt’s leader Reiner Haseloff said the man had been living in Germany since 2006. The suspect, a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy, was recognised as a refugee in 2016.
Some German media pointed to the suspect’s past social media posts in which he reportedly expressed views critical of Islam and had even warned of the “dangers” of an Islamisation of Germany.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,” Haseloff said.
The suspect rented the car shortly before the attack, according to reports citing a security source, and was not known to authorities as having an Islamist background.
Germany Christmas market attack: death toll rises to five with hundreds injured – latest
Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the deadly attack in Magdeburg as a “terrible, insane act”.
He said there is “no place more peaceful and cheerful than a Christmas market,” where people go with friends and family to enjoy a gluhwein (hot punch) and seek some contemplation and joy.
“What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality.”
Earlier, he and ministers from his government laid flowers at the site of the attack.
Scholz: 40 people so badly injured that we have to be very concerned
Scholz has just addressed journalists on the market square.
He said he had been informed about the extent of the attack and was shocked at the scale of it.
“Almost 40 people are so badly injured that we have to be very concerned about them,” he said.
Leader of Saxony Anhalt state Reiner Haseloff describes the scene as “an unimaginable incident”.
Haselhof says the scale of the attack is much bigger than previously thought, with the death toll having risen to five and the extent of those injured much larger than the estimates given last night.
He says that the attack is now part of Magdeburg’s history and will shape the identity of the city. He says the scale of the attack is also huge for the entire country.
He thanks the emergency workers, without whose work the situation could have been much much worse, he says.
He says this evening the cathedral in Magdeburg will hold a ceremony to bring together the citizens of Magdeburg.
He says “security will be something about which there need to be much clearer discussions in the future, but the time for that is not now”.
He adds: “Now is the time for mourning. Protecting Germany’s freedom and democracy remains a clear aim, which is connected with the process of mourning. Let us try to overcome this together.”
Source: The Guardian
