Foreign Affairs

Saudi Man Allegedly Attacks Crowd With Car At Busy German Christmas Market

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A Saudi man allegedly drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, leaving several people on the ground motionless and at least two dead.

Footage of the attack shows a car speeding down the road into a large crowd of people attending the festival. Authorities arrested the suspect perpetrator, whom German state premier Reiner Haseloff confirmed at a press conference is a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian native who has worked in Germany as a doctor since 2006.

Government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe confirmed that the incident was an attack, WELT reported. Between 60 to 80 people have been injured in the attack, leading all hospitals to prepare for mass casualties.

At least two people, an adult and a child, were killed in the attack, Haseloff said at the press conference. He further stated that the perpetrator acted alone and there is no further threat.

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Police said extensive operations and measures are underway at the scene.

A speeding car plowed through a crowd of people at a busy Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg. It is not known how many are injured or possibly dead.

In 2016, Germany suffered its worst Islamic terror attack when a Muslim asylum seeker ran down people at a… pic.twitter.com/mSlrwIHCm4

— Andy Ngo 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 20, 2024

The man in custody reportedly rented a car before the attack and drove at least 40 meters across the Christmas market, WELT, a German outlet, reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned “something bad is about to happen” and expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.

“The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad is about to happen,” the chancellor said. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

Die Meldungen aus Magdeburg lassen Schlimmes erahnen.

Meine Gedanken sind bei den Opfern und ihren Angehörigen. Wir stehen an ihrer Seite und an der Seite der Magdeburgerinnen und Magdeburger. Mein Dank gilt den engagierten Rettungskräften in diesen bangen Stunden.

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) December 20, 2024

German security services have previously feared an Islamic terror attack could be committed at Christmas markets throughout the country, with the nation’s domestic intelligence agency warning that these events are at a greater risk since they represent “Christian values.”

Eight years earlier, an Islamic terrorist drove a truck into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Dec. 19, 2016, killing 13 and injuring more than 70 victims, according to WELT. German police arrested two teenage Islamic state-linked suspects in November 2023 for plotting a bomb attack at a Christmas market at a city near Leverkusen, BBC News reported.