Car drives into idyllic German Christmas market amid suspected terrorist attack: report

Chaos ensued at a festive Christmas market in eastern Germany after a car plowed into a group of people in a suspected terrorist attack in the city of Magdeburg on Friday.

According to a spokesman for the local emergency services, between 60 and 80 people were injured, AFP reported, as officials continue to investigate the incident.

Several of the injured were said to be in critical condition and several reports citing German public broadcaster MDR said at least two people were killed, one of the two said to be a child.

Rescue workers on duty at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Photo: Dörthe Hein/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa (Photo by Dörthe Hein/picture Alliance via Getty Images) (Dörthe Hein/picture Alliance via Getty Images)

The Associated Press reported that Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang told reporters that the suspect was a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.

German tabloid BILD also reported that the driver drove about 400 meters across the market, although police have not yet confirmed this to Fox News Digital.

The local police confirmed to X: “Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market.”

“The Christmas market in the city center is closed,” it continued. “Further reports will follow.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not provide any updated information, but said in a message sent to X in German: “The reports from Magdeburg indicate that something bad is going to happen.”

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he added. “We stand by your side and by the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

Emergency services take part in an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday, December 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP) (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reassured marketgoers last month that while there were no signs of danger from visiting Christmas markets, it was best to remain vigilant, the Independent reported.

The incident, in which a vehicle drove through a Christmas market, was reminiscent of previous attacks in Germany, including in 2016, when a truck drove through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring about 50 others, according to the White House, according to Die Zeit said it was a terrorist attack.

This story is developing.