This is the moment a Saudi doctor who drove through a massive crowd at a German Christmas, killing at least two and injuring nearly 70 people, was arrested with a suspected explosive device.
The driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash which took place at 7:04pm today in the city of Magdeburg, according to unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt who spoke to the dpa news agency.
Video footage of the moment appears to show armed police crowding around a dark car and forcing a bearded man to slowly exit.
Several cops were seen crowding around the man with their weapons drawn while shouting at him. Cops were also seen shooing the growing crowd around the arrest incident, as a police officer crouches down over him with a torch.
The suspect of the attack has been named as psychiatrist Taleb A., a specialist in psychiatrist and psychotherapy. Spiegel reported that he was born in the Saudi Arabian city of Hofuf. He is said to have been a man from Saudi Arabia who was born in 1974, per Welt.
According to state leader Reiner Haselhoff, the man is a Saudi doctor who works in Saxony-Anhalt. He revealed that the terror attack, which has officially left two dead but local media reports has killed 11, was perpetrated by a ‘lone’ doctor ‘who has been in Germany on a has a permanent residence permit since 2006.
‘From what we currently know he was a lone attacker so we don’t think there is any further danger for the city,’ he added.
German broadcaster MDR reported that a suspected explosive device is currently sitting in the vehicle.
While official figures say that two people, including a toddler, have died, local media have put the death toll at 11.
Bild reported that the car was driven ‘at least 400m (1,300ft) across the Christmas market’, per a police spokesperson.
According to emergency services, who have set up tents to immediately treat victims, at least 15 people were ‘severely’ injured.
Local authorities said that around 100 firefighters are at the scene with seven fire brigades, while 50 rescue service personnel are there.
Video footage too graphic to share appears to show the dark car careening into the dense crowd, leaving dozens of people lying on the floor.
Within seconds, countless revellers can be see fleeing for their lives in the wake of the crash. Separate footage showed children crying loudly as several small crowds of people formed over those injured in the crash, in apparent attempts to help them.
One man who spoke to German newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung said the Christmas market has turned to ‘war-like conditions’, while another eyewitness told the newspaper that there were countless families in the ‘fairytale area’ of the market when the car crashed through the crowd.
Local police said on X that ‘extensive police operations are currently taking place’, adding that further reports will be made shortly.
The Magdeburg Christmas market is located on the Old Market, directly next to Magdeburg Town Hall near the River Elbe, and was closed by organisers following the incident.
Organisers have also asked people to leave the city centre. A spokesperson in the city said that all hospitals are ‘preparing for a mass casualty event.’
Magdeburg’s University Hospital said tonight it was ‘taking care of 10 to 20 patients’, adding it was preparing for more.
Neighbouring cities, including Halle, around 50 miles from Magdeburg, are preparing its hospitals to take on victims.
Halle is also stepping up its own security measures in the wake of the incident.
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate act.
‘The pictures are terrible,’ Reif said. ‘My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern in a post to X, writing: ‘The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.’
In a post to X, Germany’s interior minister said: ‘The news from Magdeburg is deeply shocking. The emergency services are doing everything they can to care for the injured and save lives.
‘Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The security authorities will clarify the background.’
Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said in the wake of the attack: ‘This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas.’
Haselhoff is said to be travelling to the city to bear witness to the aftermath of the attack.
Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice-chancellor, said in a post to X: ‘What terrible news from Magdeburg, where people wanted to spend the Advent season in peace and community.
‘My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all the emergency services on site who are doing everything they can to help and to clarify the background.’
CDU candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) wrote on X: ‘This is very depressing news from Magdeburg. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all emergency services who are caring for the injured on site.’
AfD leader Alice Weidel, meanwhile, wrote on the platform: ‘The images from Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and injured. When will this madness end?’
Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
The horror crash comes less than a month after Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser said that while there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, it was wise to be vigilant.
This is a breaking story – more to follow.
