German Christmas market attack - latest: Death toll rises to four and suspect named after car rams into crowd
At least four people have now died after a car ploughed into a busy Christmas market in eastern Germany, local media has reported.
According to German newspaper Bild, the number of those seriously injured has also risen to 41. Its report stated that 86 people are receiving hospital treatment for their injuries and another 78 have sustained minor injuries.
Among the dead is a toddler, who was confirmed to have been killed on Friday following the attack at around 7pm.
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 is “horrified” by the “atrocious attack”.
“I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg tonight,” the prime minister said. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected.”
Key Points
Death toll rises to 4
What do we know about the suspect?
Severely damaged vehicle pictured with shattered windscreen
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expresses his concern
Pinned post: Everything we know so far
Friday 20 December 2024 22:11 , Athena Stavrou
At least four people have been killed. An adult and a small child are among the dead.
68 injured, including 15 who were hurt very seriously.
37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.
The suspect is believed to be a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, identified as Taleb A. by local media
It is believed he supported the Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party, with a Saudi source telling Reuters he had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
German media previously reported that police suspected explosives were in the suspect’s car. They later confirmed none were found.
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.”
Sir Keir Starmer says the UK stands with the people of Germany
00:21 , Rhian Lubin
I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg tonight.
My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected.
We stand with the people of Germany.— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 20, 2024
What we know so far about the suspected driver of the SUV
00:15 , Barney Davis
Police have made an arrest after a car ploughed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least two people and injuring at least 60 others.
Footage showed the vehicle break through barriers before speeding 400 metres through the crammed “fairy tale” section of Magdeburg market.
Here is everything we know about the suspect:
Magdeburg market car attack: What we know so far about the suspected driver
Police: No information yet on background to Christmas market deaths
Friday 20 December 2024 23:58 , Barney Davis
A police spokeswoman said the force are not yet able to provide any information about the motive for the crime.
“We do not yet know the background to the crime, we are taking everything into consideration,” said a police spokeswoman when asked by reporters.
Saudi Arabia deplores market deaths
Friday 20 December 2024 23:54 , Barney Davis
Saudi Arabia condemned the ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, the Gulf country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Police have arrested a suspect in the attack, which killed at least two people.
A German official described the suspect as a doctor from Saudi Arabia who was acting alone.
Saudi Arabia’s statement made no mention of the suspect.
Bild reporting no explosives found in car
Friday 20 December 2024 23:51 , Barney Davis
No explosive device was found in the car after media speculation.
Tracy Hering of Magdeburg police said a large cordon was set up because of a suspicious piece of luggage on the passenger seat.
‘Clarification needed’ Left leader says after crash
Friday 20 December 2024 23:51 , Barney Davis
Left Party leader Ines Schwerdtner expressed her shock at the images following the attack in Magdeburg.
“My deepest sympathy goes out to the victims and their families,” Schwerdtner wrote on X.
“Thank you to the many helpers who gave their all on this difficult night. Our thoughts are with those affected. What is needed now is clarification instead of debates at the expense of the victims.”
Italian leader deeply shocked by ‘brutality'
Friday 20 December 2024 23:16 , Barney Davis
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “deeply shocked” by the “brutal” attack in a post on X.
“I am deeply shocked by the brutal attack on the defenceless crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. I stand with the entire government, the families of the victims, the injured and all the German people.
“Violence must have no place in our democracies.”
Distressed rescue workers hug at the scene of Christmas market horror
Friday 20 December 2024 23:15 , Barney Davis
‘NATO stands with Germany'
Friday 20 December 2024 23:13 , Barney Davis
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has reached out to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to offer his condolences.
He posted on X: “Horrific scenes from a Christmas market in #Magdeburg. I have reached out to @Bundeskanzler to offer my condolences.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. #NATO stands with #Germany.”
‘Security failed’ Terror expert warns
Friday 20 December 2024 22:57 , Barney Davis
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler told broadcaster ZDF: “First of all, it is surprising that a vehicle of any size can still drive into a German Christmas market in a big city.
“The fact that an attack with a car was successful indicates a flaw in the security concept.”
Thursday was the eighth anniversary of the terrible Christmas market attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz which killed 12.
Chancellor Scholz to visit site on Saturday
Friday 20 December 2024 22:25 , Jabed Ahmed
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Magdeburg on Saturday.
“The Chancellor will come here tomorrow and assess the situation with us and will certainly not only mourn with us but also discuss the necessary measures,” said Reiner Haseloff, the regional prime minister.
“And I can imagine that due to the seriousness of this attack, the Federal Prosecutor General will also take action,” he added.
British Foreign Office ‘closely monitoring the situation'
Friday 20 December 2024 22:19 , Jabed Ahmed
The Foreign Office said it is “closely monitoring the situation” in Germany.
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.”
Residents still unable to return to homes as object in car investigated
Friday 20 December 2024 22:12 , Jabed Ahmed
A piece of luggage which was found on the passenger seat of the car is still being investigated by police.
According to German outlet BILD, residents are not yet allowed to return to their homes on Breiten Weg. More residents may need to be evacuated.
Police operation at property in Bernburg
Friday 20 December 2024 22:05 , Jabed Ahmed
The arrested man comes from Bernburg, Saale, according to German outlet Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
The newspaper reported that one of the police cars was parked in front of an apartment building while heavily armed forces entered a house on Christianstrasse. Eyewitnesses said residents' doorbells have been rung.
When asked, the police did not want to confirm whether the operation was connected to the attack in Magdeburg.
French president 'deeply shocked' by attack
Friday 20 December 2024 22:03 , Jabed Ahmed
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he "deeply shocked by the horror that struck the Magdeburg Christmas market".
“My thoughts are with the victims, the injured, and their loved ones and families,” he said in a post o X.
“France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its full solidarity.”
'Act of violence must be severely punished,' EU chief says
Friday 20 December 2024 21:59 , Jabed Ahmed
EU president Ursula von der Leyen has said her thoughts are “with the victims of the brutal and cowardly act”.
“This act of violence must be investigated and severely punished,” she added in a post on X.
Eyewitness says she doesn’t know where her boyfriend is
Friday 20 December 2024 21:57 , Jabed Ahmed
Nadine, 32, from Wolfsburg, said she travelled to Magdeburg with her boyfriend Marco, 39, because it is supposed to be the most beautiful Christmas market.
Nadine had her arm around her boyfriend Marco when the car came racing towards them. “He was hit and pulled away from my side,” she told Bild.
“He was terrible. Nobody even screamed. You couldn’t even hear the car.”
Marco sustained injuries to his leg and head. “We don’t know which hospital he went to. The uncertainty is unbearable.”
Attack was carried out by one person, officials say
Friday 20 December 2024 21:53 , Jabed Ahmed
The attacker acted alone, according to preliminary information, the regional prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt said.
“We are currently in the process of compiling all further data and also carrying out the interrogation. According to the current information, it is an individual perpetrator, so there is no longer any danger to the city because we were able to arrest him,” Reiner Haseloff said in televised remarks.
Images from Magdeburg ‘shock me deeply’, foreign minister says
Friday 20 December 2024 21:51 , Jabed Ahmed
The images from Magdeburg "shock me deeply", foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has said.
She has also offered her "deepest sympathy" to the victims and their families.
Die Bilder aus #Magdeburg erschüttern mich zutiefst. Für Familien und Freunde, die auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt Zeit miteinander verbringen wollten, ist nichts mehr, wie es war. Mein tiefstes Mitgefühl gilt den Opfern und ihren Angehörigen. Mein Dank den Rettungskräften und Helfern.
— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) December 20, 2024
At least two dead, German official says
Friday 20 December 2024 21:42 , Jabed Ahmed
The Saxony-Anhalt state premier has said at least two people have died following the attack on the Christmas market.
Musk says German chancellor should resign after attack
Friday 20 December 2024 21:41 , Jabed Ahmed
Elon Musk has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to “resign immediately” following the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg.
“Incompetent fool,” the US billionaire added in a post on X.
Musk called the “terrible” attack “deliberate mass murder”.
Explosive device suspected in perpetrator’s vehicle - reports
Friday 20 December 2024 21:27 , Jabed Ahmed
The Magdeburg police have cordoned off the site because they suspected an explosive device in the perpetrator's vehicle, according to German broadcaster MDR.
Eyewitness: 'War-like conditions'
Friday 20 December 2024 21:07 , Jabed Ahmed
An anonymous eyewitness told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that the perpetrator "drove into the 'Fairy Tale' area of the Magdeburg Christmas market," and that there were many families present. She and her child were able to jump to the side of the vehicle.
A restaurateur said that the driver raced directly past his burger stand. He says the conditions are 'war-like'.
