Car Ploughs into Christmas Market in Germany, Killing Two and Injuring Over 60

A tragic incident unfolded on Friday evening at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, central Germany, where a driver rammed a car into a large crowd of revellers, killing at least two people and injuring more than 60. Authorities later arrested the suspect, a 50-year-old male doctor of Saudi origin who had lived in Germany for nearly two decades.

One of the deceased was a young child, confirmed Reiner Haseloff, Premier of Saxony-Anhalt. “This is a catastrophe for Magdeburg, for the state, and for Germany as a whole,” Haseloff said, noting that the death toll could rise due to the severity of some injuries.

The suspect, identified by Saudi sources as Taleb Abdul Jawad and by German media as Taleb A., is a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. According to Der Spiegel, he reportedly sympathized with Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. However, the motive remains unclear. German authorities stated that the suspect was not previously known to them as having Islamist ties.

A Saudi source told Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, alleging that he had posted extremist views on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the attack unequivocally.

Following the incident, police cordoned off the area and conducted an investigation into a potential explosive device near the suspect's vehicle. Local broadcaster MDR later reported that no explosives were found.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences to the victims and their families via social media platform X. Scholz is expected to visit the scene with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Saturday.

Videos circulating on social media captured the horrifying moments as the car sped through the crowd, knocking people to the ground and scattering marketgoers in panic. Reuters verified the footage by matching the trees and building outlines with satellite imagery of the area.

Local broadcasters aired footage of first responders attending to victims, some wrapped in blankets, on the ground. Witnesses shared harrowing accounts, including Nadine, who told Bild newspaper that her boyfriend Marco was struck by the car and ripped away from her side. “The uncertainty is unbearable,” she said, as she struggled to locate him in a hospital.

Interior Minister Faeser had recently warned citizens to remain vigilant at Christmas markets, which are considered potential targets for extremist attacks. The incident in Magdeburg echoes the devastating 2016 attack at a Berlin Christmas market, where Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri drove a truck into a crowd, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.

As Germany mourns this latest tragedy, questions about security, extremism, and the suspect’s motivations remain at the forefront of public and political discourse.