At least eleven people died in Magdeburg, Germany, after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market.
According to a provisional report, relayed by the German media Bild, eleven people died in the car ram attack which took place in Germany Friday December 20. At the start of the evening, a dark-colored BMW crossed the security barrier before plowing into the crowd gathered at a Christmas market. The attack also left at least sixty to eighty people injured.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he feared “the worst” regarding the human toll, in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand with you and the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescuers in these anxious hours,” he wrote.
“Large police operations are currently taking place” at the Christmas market, Magdeburg police said. The authorities specify that the market is currently closed. The vehicle allegedly drove into the crowd “for at least 400 meters”, reports German radio Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. The driver of the vehicle was arrested, municipal police assured.
We do not yet know the motives for his action, but regional authorities suspect “an attack”. In 2016, a truck drove into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing thirteen people and injuring seventeen. This terrorist attack was claimed by Daesh, BFMTV recalls.