Car Drives Into Christmas Crowd at German Market

Suspected attack, which killed two people and injured scores, echoes one from 2016
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 20, 2024 1:48 PM CST
Updated Dec 20, 2024 3:45 PM CST
Car Driven Into People at Christmas Market in Germany
Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024.   (D?rthe Hein/dpa via AP)

A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, per the AP. The BBC reports that at least two people, including a child, were killed. Officials said 15 people were seriously injured and another 53 were less seriously hurt. The driver of the car was arrested, said government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, who added that it appears to have been a deliberate attack. "The pictures are terrible," said city spokesperson Michael Reif. "My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can't yet say from what direction and how far."

  • Suspect: The man taken into custody is a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who has worked as a physician since arriving in Germany in 2006, said Saxony-Anhalt governor Reiner Haseloff.
  • 2016 attack: On Dec. 19, 2016, in Berlin, an Islamic extremist attacker plowed 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.
  • State capital: Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
  • Governor: "This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," said Haseloff.
(This story has been updated with new details.)

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