During a festive Christmas market in Eastern Germany, chaos ensued when a car was deliberately driven into a group of people in the city of Magdeburg on Friday, suspected to be a terrorist attack.
Reports from a spokesperson for the local rescue service indicated that between 60 and 80 individuals have sustained injuries, while authorities are conducting further investigations into the matter.
Some of the injured victims are reportedly in critical condition. Additionally, multiple sources, including the German public broadcaster MDR, have disclosed that at least two individuals have lost their lives as a result of the incident.
Rescue workers in action at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Photo: Dörthe Hein/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa (Photo by Dörthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Dörthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The identity of the driver and whether the incident was intentional or not remains unclear, though multiple reports confirmed the driver had been arrested.
German tabloid BILD also reported the driver drove some 400 meters across the market, though police forces have not yet confirmed this to Fox News Digital.
The local police force took to X to confirm that, “Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market.
“The Christmas market in the city center is closed,” it added. “Further reports will be made.”
German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, did not provide any updates but in a message posted to X in German said, “The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad is about to happen.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he added. “We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP) (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)
The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, assured market goers last month that though there were no indications of any danger in attending the Christmas markets, it was best to remain vigilant, reported the Independent.
The incident involving a vehicle driving through a Christmas market echoed previous attacks carried out in Germany, including in 2016 when a truck drove through a holiday market in Berlin and killed 12 people, as well as injuring some 50 others, in what the White House at the time said it believed was a terrorist attack.
This story is developing.
