At least two people are dead and almost 60 have been injured after a car drove into a crowded Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg in a suspected attack, according to local authorities.
The suspected driver of the car, a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who holds permanent residency in Germany has been arrested, CNN reported.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,” Saxony-Anhalt’s governor, Reiner Haseloff, told reporters, as quoted by AP.
“Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many,” the governor added.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has condemned the ramming attack, the country’s foreign ministry informed.
Footage shared on social media and verified by CNN captured the harrowing moment a black car sped through the crowd. The video shows people running in panic or diving into market stalls for cover. Debris and injured individuals were left scattered across the narrow lanes of the market.
The whole ordeal was shared by a user on social media platform X.
Magdeburg police confirmed on social media that extensive emergency measures are in place at the scene, according to news agency CNN.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences, writing, “We are at their side and at the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Reiner Haseloff, the prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt, described the event as “terrible, especially now in the days before Christmas.” He is travelling to Magdeburg to assess the situation.
The Christmas market, which attracts thousands of visitors each year is located in the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and features around 140 stalls, an ice skating rink along with other attractions. It was scheduled to remain open until 29 December. Magdeburg, with a population of approximately 240,000, is situated west of Berlin.