Five people have now died after a car ploughed into a busy Christmas market in eastern Germany on Friday, with a further 200 people injured, authorities have confirmed.
Among the dead is a nine-year-old child, who was confirmed to have been killed on Friday following the attack at around 7pm. According to German media, 41 people have been critically injured, 90 seriously injured and a further 80 are suffering minor injuries.
Speaking at the scene in Magdeburg on Saturday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters: “What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality. Almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.”
Police have arrested a 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified by local media as Taleb A, who had lived in Germany since 2006 and reportedly sympathised with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
The attack sparked global condemnation from world leaders, including UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said he was “horrified” by the “atrocious attack”.
Key Points
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Death toll rises to five, with 200 people injured
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What do we know about the suspect?
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Video appears to show arrest after attack
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German chancellor condemns ‘brutal’ attack
Police realised incident was an attack after flood of emergency calls
18:04 , Andy Gregory
Police quickly realised that the incident at the market in Magdeburg was an attack rather than an accident after receiving a heavy number of emergency calls, the local police chief has told a press conference.
“The first caller imagined that it was an accident on the basis of what they could see,” said Magdeburg police chief Tom-Oliver Langhans.
“However, we received at least a double digit number of emergency calls and we rapidly realised that this was actually an attack, and not an accident.”
The attack began at 7:02pm and the attacker used the route intended for emergency responders to drive into the area of the market, Mr Langhans said, according to a translation by the BBC.
Many patients at Magdeburg’s university hospital still in intensive care, medic says
17:42 , Andy Gregory
Some 80 patients were brought to Magdeburg’s university hospital on Friday night, said neurosurgeon Mahmoud Elenbaby.
“We managed to stabilise most of them, but many are still in intensive care, and some are also in critical condition,” Mr Elenbaby told the Associated Press.
Biden says his team in close touch with German officials
17:17 , Andy Gregory
US president Joe Biden said his team has been “in close touch” with German officials following the attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg.
Nine-year-old child among five dead, authorities say
17:14 , Andy Gregory
A nine-year-old child is among the five people who have died following the attack in Magdeburg, authorities said on Saturday.
City official Ronni Krug said he did not have further information on the adults who were killed on Friday night.
A further 200 people were injured, of whom 41 were seriously or very seriously hurt, Mr Krug said.
Watch: Olaf Scholz lays flowers near scene of Christmas market attack
16:58 , Andy Gregory
Expert expresses surprise at profile emerging of suspect
16:32 , Andy Gregory
An expert in German terrorism has expressed surprise at the profile emerging of the suspect in the attack in Magdeburg.
“After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore,” said Peter Neumann, director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London.
“But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists – that really wasn’t on my radar.”
Several German media outlets identified the suspect as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy who has been who has been living in Germany for nearly two decades and practising medicine there.
Describing himself as a former Muslim, the suspect has shared dozens of tweets and retweets daily focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticising the religion and congratulating Muslims who left the faith.
He also accused German authorities of failing to do enough to combat what he said was the “Islamism of Europe”. Some described him as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. He has also voiced support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum-seekers.
Prosecutors expect to charge suspect with murder and attempted murder
16:09 , Andy Gregory
Prosecutors expect to charge the suspect with murder and attempted murder, the head of the local prosecutor’s office has said.
The motive for the attack remains unclear but the suspect’s dissatisfaction with Germany’s treatment of Saudi refugees may have played a role, the prosecutor in the central city of Magdeburg told a press conference.
What we know so far about the suspected driver of car
16:03 , Athena Stavrou
The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who first came to Germany in 2006, authorities confirmed.
He has been named by German media as Taleb A and has reportedly shown support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
A Saudi source told Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
He was recognised as a refugee in 2016 and is a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy in the nearby town of Bernburg.
Interior minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic — we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”
The vehicle, a black BMW, was pictured smashed up at the scene behind a police cordon. Officials believe the suspect acted alone. Verified bystander footage showed the suspect’s arrest at a tram stop in the middle of the road.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,” Haseloff, said at a news conference.
German public broadcaster MDR previously reported that police suspected there could be explosives in the suspect’s car, but police later confirmed none were found after closer inspection.
Other markets remain open – with heightened security
15:39 , Athena Stavrou
Tragedy struck at a Christmas market in eastern Germany on Friday, as at least five people and hundreds were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd.
The market in Magdeburg will remain closed, the city’s mayor confirmed – though others around Germany will remain open.
The Frankfurt Christmas market is still going ahead, though the security procedures have been “slightly adjusted”, German media was told.
The city’s mayor said: “I heard the news from Magdeburg with horror. Our thoughts and our sympathy are with the victims and their families, who have suffered so much as a result of this cruel act. An attack like this hits a city to the core.”
AfD chairman lays flowers amid reports suspect was supporter of far-right party
15:18 , Athena Stavrou
The chairman of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has arrived at the scene and laid flowers in tribute to the victims of last night’s attack.
Tino Chrupalla and his colleagues laid flowers amid reports that the suspected attacker was a supporter of the political party.
Local media reported that he had expressed his sympathy for the party on social media, though a spokesman for the party told the Rheinische Post that he was not a member of the party.
Suspect’s alleged workplace issues statement
14:56 , Athena Stavrou
The clinic where the suspect is believed to have worked has released a statement following Friday night’s attack.
Posting on Instagram, the Salus-Fachklinikum Bernburg clinic said it was “shocked to learn that the alleged perpetrator worked as a specialist doctor in our enforcement in Bernburg”.
It added that the suspect had been employed there as a psychiatric specialist since March 2020, but he had not been working since October due to illness and holiday.
“We have been supporting the work of the investigative authorities in every possible way since the late hours,” it added.
German Christmas market attack: Everything we know as car attack kills five and injures hundreds
14:31 , Andy Gregory
A driver rammed a car into a crowd of shoppers at a busy German Christmas market on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring 200.
An extensive police operation is underway following the attack at the market in the German city of Magdeburg that happened at around 7pm local time on Friday.
Authorities confirmed that a child is among the dead, while local media reported on Saturday that 41 people are very seriously injured.
A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia was arrested on Friday following the attack:
Here’s everything we know about the attack so far:
German Christmas market: Everything we know about car attack that killed five
Pictured: Street where suspect is believed to have lived near Bernburg
14:13 , Athena Stavrou
Watch: Police officers swarm to arrest suspect
13:48 , Athena Stavrou
Eyewitness footage from a nearby building shows police swarming an individual and arresting them, after a car was driven into a busy Christmas market in eastern Germany.
At least four have died, including a child, following the attack around 7pm on Friday.
Local reports now put the number of injured to at least 200.
Police have arrested a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, identified by German media as Taleb A.
World leaders have condemned the attack, with prime minister Keir Starmer saying he was “horrified” by the incident.
Watch the video here:
Police swarm to arrest suspect after Christmas market attack kills five
Town comes together to pay tribute to victims
13:31 , Athena Stavrou
As a clearer picture of what happened at Magdeburg’s Christmas market on Friday emerges, members of the community are gathering at the scene to pay their respects.
Locals and politicians have been laying flowers, lighting candles and leaving teddy bears at the nearby church as they mourn the five people who have been killed so far.
Memorial service to be held tonight
13:08 , Athena Stavrou
A memorial service will be held in Magdeburg on Saturday night to commemorate the victims of Friday night’s attack in the town.
Magdeburg city mayor Simone Borris said: “I am shocked, deeply affected and my heart goes out to the victims and their families.”
She announced a memorial would be held at 7pm loacal time and added: “I could never have imagined that Magdeburg would be affected by such an act.”
Scholz thanks world for solidarity
12:49 , Athena Stavrou
As he finished his press conference in Magdeburg, German chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked the international community for their support.
“It is very positive to hear that Germany is not alone,” he said.
World leaders including the UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer sent their condolences on Friday following the attack
Christmas market attack suspect was clearly Islamophobic, German minister says
12:30 , Athena Stavrou
The suspect arrested in connection with a deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg was Islamophobic, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday.
“This was clear to see,” Faeser said.
The minister declined to elaborate on the man’s political affiliations.
What did Scholz and Haseloff say on Saturday?
12:06 , Athena Stavrou
On Saturday, Saxony-Anhalt’s governor Reiner Haseloff and German chancellor Olaf Scholz adressed crowds gathered at the scene of Friday’s Christmas market attack.
Haseloff confirmed that the death toll has increased to five, with more than 200 more injured after a car rammed into the crowd at around 7pm.
He said it was “astonishing” and “unimaginable” that “something like this could happen in Germany,” as he thanked emergency service workers.
Scholz said the government will be providing support for those who need it as he condemned the attack that happened in the “peaceful and joyful” setting of a Christmas market.
He said he was worried about the status of 40 people who are very seriously injured as he vowed to use the full strength of the law to enure justice is served.
He called for unity and added: “We should not allow those who wish to sow hate to do so.”
Watch: German chancellor Scholz lays flower near scene of Christmas market attack
11:53 , Athena Stavrou
German chancellor vows to respond to ‘brutal attack’ with ‘full strength of law’
11:31 , Athena Stavrou
German chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to use the “full strength of the law” as he spoke at the scene of Friday’s attack in Magdeburg.
After arriving at the market to pay tribute to the victims on Saturday morning, he told reporters alongside the state governer that nearly 40 of those injured are “so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them”.
He said: “What an awful crime this is, such brutality.”
The chancellor called on the nation to stand together against hate.
Death toll rises to five
11:20 , Athena Stavrou
The number of people killed by a car ramming into a German Christmas market has now risen to 5, authorities confirmed.
Saxony-Anhalt’s governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters at the scene of the attack in Magdeburg that the death toll had risen and that 200 people have been injured, many seriously.
Chancellor giving statement now
11:15 , Athena Stavrou
Saxony-Anhalt’s governor Reiner Haseloff is now giving a statement next to German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Magdeburg.
He confirmed five people have died and 200 people have been injured.
Olaf Scholz lays flowers at a tribute to victims
10:54 , Athena Stavrou
‘Children screaming, crying for mama’: Eyewitness returns to scene to pay respects
10:50 , Athena Stavrou
Andrea Reis, who had been at the market on Friday, returned on Saturday with her daughter Julia to lay a candle by the church overlooking the site. She said that had it not been for a matter of moments, they may have been in the car’s path.
“I said, ‘let’s go and get a sausage’, but my daughter said ‘no let’s keep walking around’. If we’d stayed where we were we’d have been in the car’s path,” she said.
Tears ran down her face as she described the scene. “Children screaming, crying for mama. You can’t forget that,” she said.
200 injured – reports
10:40 , Athena Stavrou
The number of those believed to have been injured in Friday’s attack has risen to as many as 200 people.
German broadcaster ARD reported the number on Saturday, hours after it was reported that the death toll has risen to four.
The news outlet said 41 people are very seriously injured, 90 seriously injured and a further 80 are suffering minor injuries.
Pictured: Olaf Scholz arrives in Magdeburg to make statement
10:33 , Athena Stavrou
German chancellor to give statement
10:18 , Athena Stavrou
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to give a statement in the next hour.
We will be reporting what he says on this live blog.
UK Foreign Office ‘closely monitoring situation’
09:57 , Athena Stavrou
The Foreign Office said it is “closely monitoring the situation” in Germany after a car ploughed into crowds of shoppers at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing at least two.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the German authorities following an incident in the city of Magdeburg and are closely monitoring the situation.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected.”
Magdeburg market will not re-open
09:29 , Athena Stavrou
The Magdeburg Christmas market will not re-open this year after at least four people were killed by a car ramming into the crowd on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, members of the city council gathered near the cordoned-off market.
The city’s deputy for personnel, citizen services and public order Ronni Krug, told local media: “People have died here. If you open a market, that means that people will drink mulled wine and eat where people have died. I cannot approve of that and it will not happen as long as I have a say here.”
Watch: Video appears to show arrest after German Christmas market attack
09:18 , Athena Stavrou
Death toll rises to 4
08:47 , Athena Stavrou
The death toll in a car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has risen to four people, and 41 others were gravely injured, the Bild newspaper reported on Saturday.
Eighty-six people are receiving hospital treatment for serious injuries incurred in the incident on Friday evening in the central city, while another 78 sustained minor injuries, the report said.
Police were not immediately available to comment on casualties. Local officials had initially said it least two people were killed and had warned that the toll could rise.
What do we know about the suspect?
08:28 , Athena Stavrou
Police have arrested a 50-year-old Saudi doctor after a car ploughed into a German Christmas market.
He has been identified by local media as Taleb A., a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy who sympathised with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
Memorial will take place at Magdeburg cathedral today
08:00 , Rhian Lubin
Magdeburg Mayor Simone Borris said officials plan to arrange a memorial at the city’s cathedral on Saturday.
The mayor was reported to be on the verge of tears following the attack, which has shaken the German city and the country.
‘We walked over the dead’ – police officer
07:30 , Stuti Mishra
A police officer who was one of the first on the scene described in harrowing detail what he witnessed to German news outlet DER SPIEGEL.
“Nobody prepares you for something like that,” the unnamed officer said. “We walked over the dead.”
The officer said he was at the market on a routine patrol when he saw the car speeding by.
After barrelling through the crowd in the vehicle, the suspect surrendered, according to the officer.
“He then more or less surrendered himself,” the police officer said.
Musk calls Scholz ‘incompetent fool’, says far-right party is Germany’s saviour
07:20 , Stuti Mishra
Billionaire Elon Musk, set to join US president-elect Donald Trump’s administration as an outside adviser, called on German chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign in response to a deadly attack at a Christmas market.
“Scholz should resign immediately,” he posted on X, adding: “Incompetent fool.”
Mr Musk was responding in a thread about reports of the market attack.Earlier on Friday, he waded into Germany’s election campaign, calling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) the country’s saviour.
The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany’s mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to shun support from the AfD at national level.
Europe’s leading power is expected to vote on February 23 after a centre-left coalition government led by Scholz collapsed.
“Only the AfD can save Germany,” Mr Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform, X.
U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance brands incident ‘ghastly attack’
06:30 , Rhian Lubin
Our prayers go to the people affected by this terrible attack on a Christmas market in Germany. What a ghastly attack so close to Christmas.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 20, 2024
Watch: Paramedics carry away injured people from scene after attack at Germany Christmas market
06:00 , Stuti Mishra
Saudi Arabia warned German authorities about the attacker
05:30 , Stuti Mishra
A Saudi source told Reuters news agency that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
The source identified the suspect as Taleb Abdul Jawad.
Germany’s Der Spiegel identified the attacker as Taleb A, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy who sympathised with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
The magazine did not say where it got the information.
Other German towns cancel Christmas markets as precaution
05:00 , Rhian Lubin
Friday’s attack prompted several other German towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and out of solidarity with Magdeburg’s loss, the Associated Press reported.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.
Soccer match holds minute of silence for victims
04:30 , Rhian Lubin
A minute of silence was held for the victims of the Magdeburg attack after the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and RasenBallsport Leipzig, in Munich.
One of the dead was a child, official says
04:03 , Stuti Mishra
Saxony-Anhalt premier Reiner Haseloff told a local news outlets that one of the dead was a child.. He added that he could not say whether there would be further deaths as a result of the suspected attack.
“That is speculation now. Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many,” Haseloff told reporters.
Christmas markets a cherished part of German culture
03:45 , AP
Christmas markets are a huge part of German culture as an annual holiday tradition cherished since the Middle Ages and successfully exported to much of the Western world.
In Berlin alone, more than 100 markets opened late last month and brought the smells of mulled wine, roasted almonds and bratwurst to the capital.
Other markets abound across the country.
Pictures show police guarding the market in the early hours
03:00 , Rhian Lubin
It’s gone 4 a.m. local time on Saturday in Germany now.
Pictures from the scene in the early hours show police standing guard by the deserted stalls.
Attack has echoes of 2016 Berlin atrocity
02:34 , Rhian Lubin
Friday’s attack echoes a similar atrocity at the Berlin Christmas market eight years ago.
Anis Amri rammed a large truck into the market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more on December 19, 2016.
The attack was later claimed by Islamic State.
Using fake documents, Amri fled to Italy and died in a shootout with police near Milan four days later.
Just three days after the attack the market defiantly reopened and was bustling once again.
Berliners and tourists milled around the stalls selling traditional gingerbread and gifts under the watchful eye of patrolling squads of armed police, surrounded by protective concrete barriers, our reporting from the time notes.
Suspect named by local media
02:03 , Rhian Lubin
The suspect who drove into a crowd of people at the busy Christmas market has been named in local media reports as Taleb A.
He was recognized as a refugee in 2016 and is a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy in the nearby town of Bernburg.
The man had a permanent residence permit, Saxony-Anhalt interior minister Tamara Zieschang confirmed.
He has been arrested and is in police custody.
Smashed up vehicle pictured
01:30 , Rhian Lubin
New images reportedly show the vehicle that ploughed through the crowd at the market.
The black BMW car is severely damaged, with the windscreen shattered.
‘Suspect worked as a doctor 22 miles away from Magdeburg’ – interior minister
01:15 , Rhian Lubin
Tamara Zieschang, interior minister for the state of Saxony-Anhalt, has shared more details about the suspect in Friday night’s attack:
“This is one of the darkest days for Saxony-Anhalt and also for the state capital Magdeburg. As things stand, we have two fatalities to mourn and a large number of injured.
“The perpetrator has been arrested. He is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, who first entered the Federal Republic of Germany in 2006. He had a permanent residence permit and thus a permanent residence permit.
“Most recently he worked as a doctor in Bernburg. According to our current information, he acted alone. There is no information on other perpetrators. Everything else is the subject of further investigations.”
Witness says driver was going ‘at least 30-40mph’
01:00 , Rhian Lubin
A witness has described how he saw the suspect driving at speeds of “at least 30 – 40mph” through the crowded market.
Liam Clowes, 29, told Sky News: “I turned around and initially thought the noise was the children’s carousel that was just behind us.
“All of a sudden a car comes from the right of us straight across. It was driving at a speed of at least 30-40mph and people were going over the car.
“We knew it was a serious incident as it happened. The driver didn’t apply any brakes or anything, the car was just driven through people.”
Firefighter raced to scene of the attack to help
00:45 , Rhian Lubin
A firefighter told how he rushed to the market to help after he heard about the attack.
“It was like something out of a bad movie,” 22-year-old Johannes told German newspaper Bild.
“I ran through the devastated market, people were lying on the left and right. And the only thing that went through my mind was: who am I going to help now? I then grabbed the injured people who didn’t have anyone with them and took them to the appropriate treatment areas.
“With a permanent marker, I wrote the words green, yellow or red on the injured people’s faces, depending on how severe their injuries were.
“The people in Magdeburg are in shock. But at the same time, they have shown that they are there for each other. I was proud when I saw how many helpers came together in such a short space of time.”
‘We are shaking’ Residents describe sickening noise of crash
00:30 , Barney Davis
Magdeburg resident Dorin Steffen told German news agency dpa that she was at a concert in a nearby church when she heard the sirens. The noise was so loud “you had to assume that something terrible had happened”.
She called the attack “a dark day” for the city.
“We are shaking,” Ms Steffen said. “Full of sympathy for the relatives, also in the hope that nothing has happened to our relatives, friends and acquaintances.”
