At least two people have been killed and 68 others injured, 15 of them seriously, after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg.
City officials have confirmed the tragic incident, with emergency services swiftly responding to the scene. The suspect, identified as a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, was arrested following the attack.
Saxony’s Prime Minister, Reiner Haseloff, stated that initial investigations suggest the incident is “assumed to be an attack.” The regional interior ministry has opened a formal investigation to determine the exact circumstances behind the incident.
This incident is expected to evoke painful memories for many Germans, especially following the 2016 terrorist attack in Berlin, when a truck plowed into a Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.
Authorities have expressed their condolences to the victims and their families, with the city of Magdeburg rallying around those affected by the tragedy.
