Germany Magdeburg: Attack with car at Christmas market
A car driver has driven into a group of people at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. According to eyewitnesses, several people were injured. According to Saxony-Anhalt government spokesman Matthias Schuppe, it is "probably an attack". City spokesman Marcel Reif also said that it was an attack at first glance. The driver of the car had been arrested, the German Press Agency learned in the evening from government circles in Saxony-Anhalt.
20.12.2024, 20:55
SDA
Sirens everywhere, flashing blue lights, fire department: the Christmas market was teeming with ambulances and paramedics, said a dpa reporter. Injured people were being treated at a large Christmas pyramid. Several injured people were carried away.
"The Christmas market in the city center is closed", the police announced. The Christmas market is located on the Alter Markt, right next to the town hall near the Elbe. There is a large shopping center nearby. Videos were shown on Platform X in the evening, in which numerous emergency vehicles could be seen.
Haseloff: This is a terrible event
Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff (CDU) reacted with horror to what had happened. "This is a terrible event, especially now in the days leading up to Christmas," Haseloff told the German Press Agency. He now wanted to see the situation for himself and was on his way to Magdeburg by car. Haseloff was initially unable to provide any information on the victims or the background to the incident.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had recently repeatedly called for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets. The SPD politician said at the end of November that there was currently no concrete evidence of a threat. "But in view of the abstractly high threat situation, we still have reason to be extremely vigilant and act consistently to ensure our security."
Almost exactly eight years ago to the day, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a hijacked truck into the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. Twelve people were killed, the 13th victim died as a result in 2021. More than 70 people were injured. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police.
