2 Dead, 68 Injured... 15 Seriously Injured
A vehicle rammed into a Christmas market in eastern Germany, causing 70 casualties.
Rescue authorities were dispatched to the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
On the 20th (local time), major foreign media including AFP reported that around 7 p.m., a vehicle crashed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, killing at least 2 people and injuring 68. So far, the confirmed deaths include one adult and one child, but 15 of the injured are seriously wounded, raising the possibility of more fatalities.
Local police have determined that a BMW vehicle drove across the Christmas market for more than 400 meters. Authorities are treating it as an intentional attack and are searching the vehicle for explosives or other devices. The driver was arrested at the scene. The suspect is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who has been working as a doctor in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany since 2006. No further details about his identity, terrorism links, or motives have been disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing senior German officials, reported that the suspect is a Saudi-born refugee who had shown anti-Islamic tendencies. The suspect reportedly immigrated to Germany in 2006, claiming to have fled Saudi Arabia’s Islamic theocracy as an asylum seeker. WSJ analyzed, "This profile does not match recent terror suspects who are young radicals from Central Asia such as Syria or Afghanistan," and added, "It presents a more complex portrait of the suspect."
Foreign media also explained that Saudi sources had warned Germany in advance because the man had posted extremist views on his social media accounts. In particular, he shared content supporting Israel in the Gaza war and backing the German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which promotes anti-immigration policies. The man recently claimed on social media that the German government is promoting 'Islamization' and that authorities are censoring and persecuting him for being critical of Islam. The Saudi Arabian government also expressed solidarity with the German people and victims’ families, stating its firm opposition to violence.
Previously, in 2016, a truck rammed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 and injuring 67. The suspect at the time, Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, was an extremist supporter of the Islamic State (IS) and was killed in a shootout with police in Italy four days after the attack.
German security authorities have warned that Christmas markets, as symbols of Christian values, could be targets of Islamic extremism. The Ministry of the Interior announced last month a ban on carrying knives at Christmas markets.
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is responsible for the incident and should resign. Some analysts suggest that Musk, who has close ties with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and supports far-right parties, may be attempting to interfere in German politics ahead of early elections.
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