An adult and a toddler were killed at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, when a car plowed into the crowd Friday evening. At least 15 people have serious injuries and 68 people in all were hurt, authorities said.
Magdeburg is the capital of Saxony-Anhalt and is about 100 miles west of Berlin.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said security authorities are working to clarify details surrounding the attack.
Here’s what we know:
Suspect: The suspected driver, who has been arrested, is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia with a permanent residency permit, the Saxony-Anhalt region’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said Friday. He is a doctor who works in the state and has been living in Germany since 2006, according to Reiner Haseloff, the regional prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt. Preliminary information suggests he acted alone, Haseloff added.
On the scene: Victims who have minor injuries from the attack are being treated in a nearby shopping center, local public broadcaster MDR has reported. Around 100 firefighters and 50 rescue personnel have been deployed to the scene, according to a statement posted on the city of Magdeburg’s Facebook page. Local police suspect there could be an explosive device in the vehicle that plowed through the Christmas market, according to local public broadcaster MDR. The Magdeburg police have cordoned off the entire site due to the possibility of explosives, the local broadcaster reported.
Leaders respond: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Magdeburg on Saturday, Haseloff said. In a statement Friday, Scholz said that his thoughts are with the victims after a car plowed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg. The presidents of France and the European Council also sent their condolences to victims.
