by Admin
Dec 21, 2024
Tragedy struck in the city of Magdeburg, Germany, when a man deliberately drove his car into the Christmas market killing at least five people and injuring several others on Friday night.
The Police apprehended a Saudi Arabian citizen who allegedly drove the car into the flood of people who were shopping for Christmas at the Magdeburg market.
Confirming the incident Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt state on Saturday morning disclosed that 41 people are currently in critical condition in the hospital.
The Premier disclosed that a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had worked as a doctor was being held responsible for the horrific attack.
He further explained that a preliminary investigation revealed that the Saudi citizen acted alone and had no ties to any terrorist organizations or had an accomplice in the attack but ongoing investigation would not allow him to reveal more information due to the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The investigation revealed that the man had no ulterior motive in terms of being a Saudi citizen and his social media posts revealed that he was an anti-Islamism activist but had a grudge against the German government.
German media identified the suspect as Taleb A, a psychiatrist who lives in Bernburg, around 40 km (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.
The German chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack and said “What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality”.
He further added, “We have now learned that over 200 people have been injured, and almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.”
The Chancellor made this statement in the central city, part of the former East Germany, where he laid a white rose at a church in honor of the victims.
He further revealed that there would be a memorial service for the victims at the Magdeburg Cathedral later on Saturday.
The incident occurred, when Magdeburg’s football club was playing against Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Second Bundesliga Division. After the match, the team came together and formed a straight line in front of their fans.
The Magdeburg club said, “Its thoughts are with those affected by the terrible events and the Magdeburg Christmas market”.
Meanwhile, a minute’s silence was observed at the end of Bayern’s match against RB Leipzig in Munich.
Friday’s incident is not the first time people at a Christmas market have been attacked in Germany.
In 2016, a Tunisian refugee man Anis Amri, drove a truck into a crowd at the market church in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others because the German government denied him asylum.