THE driver who ploughed through a Magdeburg Christmas market killed five people in just three minutes.
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, is suspected of driving a rented black BMW into the packed festive scene in horror scenes on Friday night.
One of the five dead is a nine-year-old as another 205 holiday revellers now deal with injuries sustained from the rampage.
The assault commenced at 7.02pm local time when the assailants redirected the rental vehicle from a road suitable for cars onto Breiter Weg, a street mainly designated for light rail transportation.
He is believed to have hit several pedestrians here before quickly turning right onto Alter Markt.
The car was travelling at up to 40mph when he first smashed into people, horrified witnesses said.
The Magdeburg Christmas market ran down Alter Markt, a relatively narrow pedestrianised road that opens into a square.
The street had no bollards at its entrance as city authorities had wanted it to be able to be used by emergency services.
Alter Markt was packed with revellers enjoying the Christmas market stalls.
The BMW hurtled down the street hitting the revellers, leaving five dead and 205 injured.
CCTV footage captured the moment locals were slammed into by the car and they were thrown onto the ground.
Some dived out of the way as they desperately tried to dodge the flying motor.
Witnesses said the ground was covered in blood and tinsel as doctors scrambled to treat the injured.
The car went “through people” and sent others “going over it”, a man standing just feet away from the crash added.
Soon after, emergency services received the first calls and cops and rescue workers rushed to the scene.
The car then took the next right, travelling down another wing of the Christmas market back towards the main street.
Suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen then took another right onto the main road Ernst-Reuter-Allee.
The car managed to only travel about 50m before cops stationed nearby stopped it and arrested the Saudi refugee with guns pulled.
By 7.08pm, the first rescue teams had arrived to treat the injured.
Germany has been left in shock by the rampage as it evoked memories of terror attacks and fears of copycat efforts.
Taleb, a Saudi citizen who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had worked as a doctor, is thought to have acted alone.
The suspected attacker has no known links to Islamist extremism – his posts online appear to suggest he had instead been highly critical of Islam.
Reportedly, Taleb had frequented the Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg multiple times during November and December, potentially using it as a base to plan the offense, as per information from Spiegel.
It comes as…
- Five confirmed dead, including one toddler
- Over 200 injured with dozens in a critical condition
- Suspect named as Saudi doctor Taleb A
- Taleb was allegedly under the influence of drugs when arrested
- Police issue UK terror warning over fears of “copycat strike”
- Harry Kane leads tributes to victims
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks on tragedy
One witness who gave her name as Nadine said her boyfriend Marco was ripped out of her arms when he was hit by the car.
She told Bild: “He was hit and pulled away from my side. It was terrible.
“Nobody even screamed. You couldn’t hear the car either.”
Marco had injuries to his leg and head: “We don’t know which hospital he went to. The uncertainty is unbearable.”
Officials fear the number of deaths could rise in the coming hours.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Magdeburg today and addressed a large crowd in the heartbroken city.
He described the events as “a terribly, tragic incident” as he confirmed five people have been confirmed as dead so far.
Scholz said: “What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality.
“Almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.
“It is important that nothing remains uninvestigated, that every stone is turned,” he added.
Back in 2016, a Tunisian individual with ties to the Islamic State drove a truck into a crowd gathered at a Christmas market in Berlin, causing the deaths of 12 individuals and leaving 49 others wounded.
Two years later, a gunman opened fire on a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing five and injuring another 11 people.
