At least two people were killed and dozens injured after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday, local authorities said.
An adult and a toddler perished in the attack and the suspected driver has been apprehended, Saxony-Anhalt state prime minister Reiner Haseloff said in a televised address.
At least 68 people were injured, 15 of them severely, the city’s Facebook page said in a statement.
Video from social media, confirmed by USATODAYWORLD, captures the horrific moment a black car ploughed through the people at the Christmas market.
In the video, people are huddled around the market stalls when the vehicle runs them over directly. Some people run away in panic and some of them jump into the stalls.
Bodies and debris are all over the narrow lane as the car exits the plaza.
The space around the car was earlier evacuated due to possible presence of a bomb in the car but the police did not find any bomb, according to MDR, the local public broadcaster from Magdeburg police.
Haseloff said the suspected driver is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Saxony-Anhalt and working in Germany since 2006.
The suspect is 50 years old, and he has a permanent residency permit, according to the state’s interior minister, Tamara Zieschang.
He had hired the car which was used in the attack as claimed by Haseloff, MDR reports.
Magdeburg is the capital of the state Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of approximately 240000.
As per Haseloff, the suspected driver is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who is working in Saxony-Anhalt and has been living in Germany since 2006.
The suspect is a 50-year-old man with a permanent residency permit, added Tamara Zieschang, the state’s interior minister.
He had rented the car that was used in the attack as alleged by Haseloff, MDR reported.
Magdeburg is the capital of the state Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of approximately 240000.
On its website, the Christmas market will be held from November 22 to December 29. It has approximately 140 market stalls, an ice-skating rink, a Ferris wheel, and a children’s’ playground.
Haseloff said that mourning would occur in Germany, particularly in the state. Local officials said that there will be a memorial service at Magdeburg cathedral at 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) Saturday.
“We will lower the flags to signify what a tragedy has happened here and that all of us have suffered the losses that have been inflicted on people,” he said.
Videos from social media showing the police officers arresting a person at 500 feet (150 meters) from the scene where the car ran over people.
The video posted by the AP news agency swings the camera across a busy street to reveal a police officer pointing a pistol at the arrestee near a car that seems to have been extensively vandalized. A few minutes later two police vans pull up and police rush out of the vehicles.
Another video from AP, shot from across the street, also shows officers handcuffing a person lying face down next to the black SUV shortly after.
Another station, USATODAYWORLD affiliate NTV, said the same video showed the moment the suspect was arrested.
has not been in a position to ascertain whether this is the suspect in the Friday’s market attack.
The number of the injured people was more than the capacity of the hospitals in Magdeburg could contain, some were airlifted to a hospital in the neighboring city of Halle.
Some 100 firefighters and 50 rescue personnel have been mobilised, according to the city of Magdeburg.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who will visit Magdeburg on Saturday took to his social media accounts to express his condolences to the families of the deceased. “We are on their side and on the side of the people of Magdeburg. He said: “My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
The attack was condemned by Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry.
“The Kingdom categorically condemns violence and extends its sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Federal Republic of Germany, government and people, and wishes the wounded a speedy recovery,” the statement added.
The White House was closely monitoring the situation and US officials were in touch with their German counterparts that were investigating the situation to offer support, a National Security Council official said.
Other leaders who condoled include the President of the European Council António Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof among others.
