Germany Christmas Market
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — A wave of shock and mourning swept through Germany on Saturday as the nation grappled with a horrific attack at a bustling Germany Christmas Market. A Saudi doctor, in a tragic turn of events, deliberately drove into the festive crowd, leaving five dead, including a young child, and injuring over 200 others.
The 50-year-old suspect was swiftly apprehended at the scene in Magdeburg on Friday evening. Authorities have taken him into custody for questioning. Residing in Germany since 2006, he had been practicing medicine in Bernburg, roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg, officials revealed.
State Governor Reiner Haseloff announced that the death toll had risen from two to five, with the number of injured surpassing 200, marking a dark day for the community and a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced even amidst holiday cheer.
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed deep concern over the tragedy, noting that nearly 40 victims sustained injuries so severe that their conditions remain critical. “A Germany Christmas Market is the epitome of peace and joy,” Scholz remarked. “To harm and kill so many in such a brutal manner is unimaginable.”
Germany media outlets have identified the suspect as Taleb A., respecting privacy laws by not disclosing his full name. Reports indicate he is a specialist in psychiatry, adding another layer of complexity to this shocking incident.
People who were sad lit candles and put flowers outside a church close to the market on a cold and dark day. Many stopped and cried. A church choir from Berlin, whose members saw a Germany Christmas Market attack in 2016, sang Amazing Grace, a song about God’s kindness, to show their prayers and support for the victims.
The man who caused the attack
On Saturday, there were still no clear reasons for why the man drove his black BMW into a crowd in eastern Germany Christmas Market
the suspect, who called himself a former Muslim, posted many tweets and retweets every day that were against Islam. He criticized the religion and praised Muslims who abandoned their faith. He also said that German officials are not doing enough to fight what he calls the “Islamism of Europe.”
Magdeburg is still in shock
The violence disturbed Germany and the city, bringing its mayor close to tears and ruining a celebration that is part of a long-standing German tradition. Several other towns in Germany canceled their weekend Christmas markets as a safety measure and to show support for Magdeburg. Berlin kept its markets open but added more police to keep them safe.
Germany has faced a number of extremist attacks in recent years, including a knife attack in August that killed three people and injured eight at a festival in the city of Solingen.
Magdeburg is a city with about 240,000 residents, located west of Berlin, and is the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. On Friday, there was an attack, which happened eight years after a terrorist drove a truck into a crowded Germany Christmas Market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many more. The attacker was shot and killed days later in Italy.
Chancellor Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited Magdeburg on Saturday, and a memorial service is planned for the city’s cathedral in the evening. Faeser also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at federal buildings across Germany.
Details of the attack
Footage confirmed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect being arrested at a tram stop. A police officer with a gun shouted at the suspect while he lay on the ground. Other officers quickly surrounded him and took him into custody.
Thi Linh Chi Nguyen, a 34-year-old nail technician from Vietnam, was on the phone during her break when she heard loud noises and thought they were fireworks. Then she saw a car speeding through the market. People screamed, and a child was thrown into the air by the car. Many people were injured.
She trembled as she talked about the terrible thing she saw. She remembered a car speeding out of the market, turning right onto Ernst-Reuter-Allee street, and stopping at the tram stop where police arrested the suspect. There were too many injured people.
“My husband and I helped them for two hours. He ran home to get as many blankets as he could find because there weren’t enough to cover the injured, and it was really cold,” she said.
On Saturday, the market was still closed off with red-and-white tape and police vans parked every 50 meters. Officers with machine guns guarded every entrance. Some thermal blankets were still on the street.
Christmas markets have been a beloved German tradition since the Middle Ages and are now popular in many parts of the Western world.
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