At least two dead after car driven into crowd at Christmas market in Germany
Social media videos show dozens of people crowded at market stalls when the vehicle is driven directly into them, ITV News' Geraint Vincent reports
At least two people have been killed after a car was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in eastern Germany, while at least 68 others have been injured.
In what authorities believe was a deliberate attack, the vehicle hit several people at high speed in the city of Magdeburg at around 7pm on Friday evening.
The driver of the car was arrested, with Saxony-Anhalt’s interior minister, Tamara Zieschang, telling reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006 and has a permanent residency permit.
“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 said, who said an adult and a small child were among those killed.
He said he couldn’t rule out further deaths because so many people were seriously injured.
“But that is speculation now. Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many,” he added.
Police suspect there could be an explosive device in the vehicle, the local public broadcaster MDR said, with officers cordoning off the entire site.
Footage from social media, verified by CNN, shows the moment a black car drove directly into the crowd at the busy Christmas market.
In the video, dozens of people are crowded at the market stalls when the vehicle is driven directly into them.
Out of the 68 injured, 15 were hurt very seriously, according to government officials, who said 37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.
Magdeburg’s University Hospital said it was taking care of 10 to 20 patients but was preparing for more, dpa reported.
Extensive police measures are currently in place at the scene, Magdeburg police said in a post on X.
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate attack.
Mr Reif said there were “numerous injured” but didn’t give a precise figure.
“The pictures are terrible,” he said. “My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.”
Footage from the scene of a cordoned-off part of the market showed debris on the ground.
“This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," Mr Haseloff added.
Mr Haseloff told dpa that he was on his way to Magdeburg but couldn’t immediately give any information on victims or what was behind the incident.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Chancellor OIaf Scholz posted on X: “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg.”
On the Magdeburg Christmas Market's Instagram page, people have been advised to avoid the area.
"Please let the emergency services do their job and leave the market in an orderly manner," the statement reads.
Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
On December 19 2016, in Berlin, an Islamic extremist attacker ploughed through a crowd of Christmas market-goers with a truck, leaving 13 people dead and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...