A driver crashed into a large crowd at a Christmas market in central Germany on Friday evening, killing at least two people and injuring over 60 before being apprehended, authorities reported. Among the deceased was a young child, according to Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt. The incident occurred in Magdeburg, the state capital, located about 150 km (90 miles) west of Berlin.
"It is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg, for the state, and for Germany as a whole," Haseloff remarked, noting that the death toll could rise due to the serious nature of some of the injuries. He identified the attacker as a 50-year-old male doctor from Saudi Arabia, who had lived in Germany for nearly two decades and held permanent residency.
At present, Haseloff stated that the authorities believe the incident was carried out by a lone assailant, meaning there is no further immediate threat to the city, as the suspect has been arrested. The motive behind the attack remains unclear. According to local broadcaster MDR, the suspect was not previously known to German authorities as an Islamist.
A Saudi source informed Reuters that the kingdom had alerted German authorities about the suspect, who had reportedly shared extremist views on his personal X account. The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the attack.
Following the incident, police cleared an area around the vehicle to investigate the possibility of an explosive device, though later reports confirmed no such device was found. A separate police operation was also underway in Bernburg, the town south of Magdeburg where the suspect was believed to reside, according to local newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences to the victims on social media and is expected to visit the scene on Saturday, accompanied by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
As news of the attack spread, Elon Musk, a billionaire ally of President-elect Donald Trump, criticized Scholz and called for his resignation.
A video shared on social media captured the car speeding through the crowd, striking people and sending others fleeing. Reuters verified the location using satellite imagery, confirming it matched the area’s layout. Local broadcaster footage showed people lying on the ground covered in blankets, receiving medical assistance after the attack.
A witness, identified only as Nadine, recounted how she and her boyfriend, Marco, were walking arm-in-arm when the car suddenly sped towards them. "He was hit and ripped away from my side," she told Bild newspaper, adding that he was injured on his leg and head and taken to the hospital, but she did not know his whereabouts. "The uncertainty is unbearable," she said.
This attack follows a warning from Faeser late last month urging people to remain vigilant at Christmas markets, which have been a focus of security concerns due to their potential as targets for extremist attacks. The attack is reminiscent of the 2016 assault in Berlin, where Anis Amri, a Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist ties, drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.