Emergency services at the Magdeburg Christmas market after several people were hit by a car. – Dörthe Hein/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
The authorities recognize that the event could be an attack
At least one adult and one child dead, while 15 of the injured are in serious condition.
MAGDEBURG (GERMANY), 20 (DPA/EP)
The authorities of the German city of Magdeburg have confirmed this Friday that at least two people have died and another around 70 have been injured, victims of a mass accident that occurred this afternoon at a Christmas market in the city, which has been evacuated by the Police. .
The German security forces have confirmed the arrest of the driver of the vehicle, who according to videos circulating on social networks had broken into the Christmas market at full speed, located in the Town Hall Square of the city of Magdeburg, about 130 kilometers from Berlin. .
This official report from the German authorities confirms the omens that the “terrible” event could have left “multiple” victims. According to the Prime Minister of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, the two fatalities are an adult and a child.
Regarding the driver of the vehicle, who has already been detained by the Police, Haseloff has confirmed that he is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who works in the city of Bernburg, near Magdeburg, and that he would have arrived in Germany in 2006. The suspect could be a lone wolf, according to the state’s premier.
The regional authorities have recognized that the event could be an “attack”, to which sources consulted by DPA point out that the detainee was not on the list of Islamists most wanted by the German authorities.
For its part, the local government has detailed on its social networks that at least fifteen people are in serious condition, another 37 in moderate condition and 16 more people have minor injuries. The critically injured have been transferred to nearby hospitals.
According to several German media reports, local security forces have cordoned off the market after suspecting that there was an explosive device inside the vehicle, which traveled 400 meters towards the crowd.
The Magdeburg Police have limited themselves to reporting on their social networks that “intense police operations are being carried out in the market”, closed to the public for security reasons. “All police measures in Magdeburg are working at full speed,” they added.
REACTIONS TO THE HIT
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has acknowledged that the first reports that have reached him “suggest something bad.” “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. My thanks to the dedicated rescue workers in these hours of anxiety,” the German president added on his social networks.
The president of the Central European country, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has also thanked the emergency services and reiterated that the facts have not yet been clarified.
“The expectation of a peaceful Christmas was abruptly interrupted by the news from Magdeburg,” he added in a statement, insisting that “the entire background of the terrible crime has not yet been clarified.”
On behalf of the European Union, the first to react was the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who stated that he was “dismayed by the horrible news from Magdeburg”, and has conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims. “The EU is with Germany,” he stressed on his social networks.
Likewise, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has sent her thoughts to the victims of this “brutal and cowardly act” recorded in Magdeburg. “My deepest condolences to the family and friends, and my gratitude to the police and rescuers,” he indicated, urging an investigation into the accident.
For his part, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has expressed himself “deeply shocked” by the attack. “I think of the victims, the injured, as well as their loved ones and their families. France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its full solidarity,” he added.
Another of the European leaders who has reacted to the events of this Friday has been the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who has declared himself “horrified by the atrocious attack” and has asserted that they are “with the people of Germany.”
Next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. local time a funeral will take place in the city cathedral, as reported by the mayor of Magdeburg, Simone Borris, through tears: “We will need a lot of time to grieve. We will deal with all this exhaustively.”
The city of Magdeburg, capital of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, is located in the northeast of Germany. Videos in social media posts show images of the market shortly after the incident, with several ambulances in the area.
Almost exactly eight years ago, on December 19, 2016, a truck driven by an Islamist of Tunisian origin broke into a Christmas market in the German capital, Berlin, an accident that left twelve people dead. One more person died in 2021 as a result of this attack, claimed by the Islamic State.
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