Who is the suspect in the attack on the Magdeburg market? What we know so far

Emergency services were first called at 19:02 local time (18:02 GMT).

The caller reported that a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in the middle of town.

The caller assumed it was an accident, police said, but it soon turned out not to be the case.

According to the police, the driver veered off the road onto the crosswalk and drove through the market access point reserved for emergency vehicles, injuring several bystanders.

In unconfirmed footage circulating on social media, the driver is seen speeding down a pedestrian crossing between Christmas shops.

Witnesses described jumping out of the way of the car and running or hiding.

The police said that the driver then returned to the road the way he entered and had to stop in traffic. The employees who were already in the market were able to catch the driver and arrest him.

The footage shows armed police confronting and arresting the man, who is seen lying on the ground next to a stationary car – a black BMW.

The entire incident was over in three minutes, police said.