At least two people were killed, including a small child, and at least 60 injured after a man drove a car into a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, authorities said.
The suspect, who is in police custody, is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg, a town south of Magdeburg, said Saxony-Anhaltstate premier Reiner Haseloff. The man is believed to have acted alone, he said.
Tamara Zieschang, the state interior minister, said the suspect was originally from Saudi Arabia, had been in Germany since 2006, and had permanent residency.
Security sources told DPA the suspect is around 50 years old and had not been on law enforcement's radar as a known Islamist. Authorities have yet to speculate on the motive behind the suspected attack.
They have also not named him. "This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg, for the state and Germany in general," said state premier Haseloff.
Magdeburg is a city of some 237,000 people in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is located about 150 kilometers west of Berlin. Emergency vehicles flooded the market in the center 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.
Many people were rushed to the Magdeburg University Hospital, where a spokesman said staff had quickly geared up to handle a mass casualty event.
The identities of the two fatalities have not been revealed. A memorial service is to be held in Magdeburg's cathedral on Saturday at 7 pm (1800 GMT).
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to travel to Magdeburg on Saturday. "My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg," Scholz wrote on X. "My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours." Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the attack on X, mentioning the suspect.
"The Kingdom affirms its position in rejecting violence and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and the government and people of the Federal Republic of Germany, wishing the injured a speedy recovery," the statement said. The United States was ready to assist in recovery efforts as investigations continued, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
"Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest Allies, and we stand together with them today and in the weeks ahead. There is no place for violence in our societies," Miller said in a statement. "We stand in solidarity with the people of Germany in grieving the loss of life."
Condolences also began pouring in from other leaders, with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric all expressing their shock at the events. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said her "thoughts are with the victims" after the "brutal and cowardly" attack, in a post on X. Von der Leyen, a German conservative politician who leads the EU'sexecutive arm, called for the "act of violence" to be "investigated and severely punished." The chaotic scenes that unfolded on Friday recalled the events that took place almost exactly eight years ago in the German capital.
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