At least 2 killed, 60 injured after car rams into Christmas market in Germany
Alleged social media posts of perpetrator contains anti-Muslim messages, support for far-right AfD party
A general view of the area, surrounded with police tape, after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany on December 20, 2024.
BERLIN
At least two people were killed and 60 others injured after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market Friday in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.
Saxony-Anhalt’s Premier Reiner Haseloff said an adult and a child were killed in the “attack.” He warned that the toll could rise, as several victims suffered severe injuries.
According to regional broadcaster MDR, nearly 70 victims were hospitalized, including 15 with life-threatening injuries.
The attack occurred at around 19.04 local time (1804GMT) in the popular Christmas market at Magdeburg's city center. Videos on social media showed a dark car speeding into the crowd, sending people fleeing in panic and causing chaos at the festive gathering.
Haseloff confirmed that the driver was arrested immediately after the incident. “We have apprehended the perpetrator, he is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who works here in Saxony-Anhalt, and has been in Germany since 2006,” he told reporters.
Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive but a preliminary investigation indicates there were no other suspects involved in the attack.
The Welt newspaper said a social media profile matching the suspect, Taleb A., indicated he obtained political asylum in Germany after claiming he faced death threats in Saudi Arabia for leaving Islam.
His social media accounts contained Islamophobic messages, support for the far-right AfD party, with outlandish claims that German authorities were "chasing Saudi asylum seekers to destroy their lives" and "Germany wants to Islamize Europe."
He wrote in June a post about German police using "dirty tactics" against him and other critics of Islam to "destroy their anti-Islam activism."
German authorities have not released details about the perpetrator's identity or commented on the reports while investigations were continuing.
Police maintained a heavy security presence at the Christmas market and cordoned off the area to secure the crime scene. Local authorities urged residents to avoid the area while investigations were ongoing.
