German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser are due in Magdeburg on Saturday, hours after at least two people were killed, including a small child, and at least 60 were injured after a man drove a car into a Christmas market.
The attack in the central German city occurred on Friday evening. The suspect, 50, is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg, according to state premier Reiner Haseloff.
He said the suspect drove a rental car into the crowd at the Christmas market.
Emergency vehicles flooded the market in the centre of the city, not far from city hall. Medics treated injured people lying on the ground in front of the stalls. Tents were also set up where the hurt could be cared for.
The identities of the two fatalities have not been revealed.
A memorial service is to be held in Magdeburg’s cathedral at 7 pm (1800 GMT).
The suspect, who remains in police custody, is originally from Saudi Arabia, had been in Germany since 2006 and had permanent residency, Tamara Zieschang, the state interior minister said.
Many questions remain unanswered, primarily the motive for the alleged attack.
“We still don’t know the background to the crime, we are considering everything,” a police spokeswoman said.
The authorities still assume that it was a lone perpetrator.
“At the moment we have no evidence of accomplices,” said a spokeswoman. The police are carrying out searches, including in Bernburg.
The car went some 400 metres, according to Bild newspaper, citing the police.
Security sources told dpa on Friday that the suspect had not been on law enforcement’s radar as a known Islamist.
However, the suspect is reportedly known for his criticism of Islam. He has made erratic accusations on social media and in interviews, claiming German authorities are not doing enough to combat Islamism.
Previously an advocate for Saudi women fleeing their country, he later advised against seeking asylum in Germany, writing on his website in English and Arabic: “My advice: don’t ask for asylum in Germany.”
A cell phone video is said to show the arrest. In the clip, a police officer points his gun at the suspect and tells him to lie down: “Hands behind your back!” and “Stay down!”
The man lies down on the ground next to a black car, which is visibly damaged and follows the instructions.
It then shows reinforcements arriving, with several police officers jumping from a patrol car and surrounding the suspect on the ground. The officer instructs his colleagues not to get too close.
Magdeburg is a city of some 237,000 people in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, some 150 kilometres west of Berlin.
Police in other cities with Christmas markets are also on high alert. In Stuttgart, a police spokesperson said that police forces on the ground had been made aware of the situation. In Berlin, a spokesperson said that officers are on higher alert at Christmas markets.
The chaotic scenes recalled the events that took place almost exactly eight years ago in the German capital.
On December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist used a hijacked lorry to crash into a Christmas market in central Berlin. Twelve people were killed, with a 13th victim dying in 2021 as a result of their injuries. More than 70 people were hurt. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by police.
Faeser had recently made repeated calls for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets, although she said in late November that there was currently no concrete evidence of a threat.
