One dead and dozens injured after car drives into German Christmas market

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A car plowed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least one person and injuring dozens in what local officials said was a premeditated attack.

The mayor of the city, Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz, reported that as a result of the incident in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, one person was killed and more than 50 people were injured.

Eyewitnesses told the German TV station MDR that the car crashed directly into the crowd.

Police arrested a person in connection with the incident, which took place in the Old Market district of the city center, not far from the Gothic cathedral, DPA press agency reports.

A spokesman for the state government of Saxony-Anhalt told the agency that it was “probably an attack.”

“This is a terrible event, especially now in the days leading up to Christmas,” said state premier Rainer Haselof.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said reports from Magdeburg, a city of about 240,000 on the Elbe River, looked bad.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he said. “We stand by them and the people of Magdeburg. I thank the dedicated rescuers in these troubled times.”

Friedrich Mertz, the leader of the leading Christian Democratic Party in Germany’s February elections, said: “This is very depressing news from Magdeburg. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all the emergency services who are taking care of the victims.”

The incident comes almost eight years to the day after 12 people were killed and 49 injured when a 24-year-old Tunisian failed asylum seeker crashed a car into a Berlin Christmas market in 2016. The 13th victim of the attack claimed by the IS jihadist group died in 2021.

German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Feiser recently called for vigilance when visiting Christmas markets. Speaking in late November, she said there was no concrete evidence of an immediate threat, but added: “Given the high threat level in the abstract, we still have reason to be very vigilant and act consistently for our security. “.

The incident takes place at a time when Germany is preparing snap elections in Februarywhere migration and law and order should feature strongly.The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is currently in second place.

The party secured a historic first place in regional elections in the eastern state of Thuringia earlier this year and came second in two other neighboring regions.

Voting took place shortly after: a the terrorist attack in August In the city of Solingen, when a Syrian citizen, who is suspected of being a member of IS, fatally stabbed three people and injured eight others.

The incident has been seized upon by the AfD as well as the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), both of which say uncontrolled immigration has led to a rise in violent crime on German streets.

AfD leader and chancellor candidate Alice Weidel said the images from Magdeburg were “shocking”, adding: “When will this madness end?”