Agency Report –
The victims of the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market are to receive a total of €25 million ($26.3 million) in financial aid from a fund set up the German government, a spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry said on Saturday.
The spokeswoman confirmed that the ministry had applied to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, to approve budgetary funds.
The office of the Federal Victims’ Commissioner reportedly assumes that more than 700 people were affected by the attack. Accordingly, the €25 million was requested as an extraordinary expenditure.
Justice Minister Volker Wissing announced the financial support in mid-January. “Our state must stand by the victims,” he told dpa at the time.
It should make no difference whether the Magdeburg atrocity is ultimately classified as a terrorist act or not, Wissing said.
Shortly before Christmas Eve, a man sped through the Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg. Six people died, including a 9-year-old boy.
The perpetrator, a doctor from Bernburg south of Magdeburg, is originally from Saudi Arabia. He is in custody. His exact motive for the act remains unclear.
