Over 200 injured

Death toll rises after Magdeburg attack

The scene of the horrific act the day after(Bild: APA/AFP/John MACDOUGALL)

The death toll is rising after the devastating attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg. The police are now talking of five fatalities and 15 seriously injured.

Friday evening, 7.04 p.m.: The unthinkable strikes the central German city of Magdeburg on the Elbe, the target: the Christmas market. A black BMW crashes into the crowd. In panic, the visitors flee to the left and to the right. Many have no chance - they are simply not fast enough. Injured people lie screaming on the ground, desperate attempts are made to help them.

According to Spiegel, there are now at least five dead, including a small child. According to official figures, at least 60 people were injured, including 15 seriously.

It is still unclear exactly what motivated the perpetrator to carry out this horror.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A critic of Islam from Saudi Arabia is apparently behind this day of horror. According to the German Press Agency, the 50-year-old specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy describes himself as an "ex-Muslim". The perpetrator is said to have been recognized as a refugee in Germany in 2016. He applied for asylum because he feared persecution in his home country, he said in an FAZ interview in 2019. He then made it his mission to show other persecuted people a path to asylum in Germany or Australia, for example.

Flowers and candles are placed in front of St. John's Church near the Christmas market.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In social media and interviews, the man recently made some confusingly worded accusations against German authorities. Among other things, he accused them of not doing enough to combat Islamism. "Germany hunts down Saudi asylum seekers inside and outside Germany to destroy their lives," he said, for example.

"Don't ask for asylum in Germany"
The man from Saudi Arabia is suspected of driving a rented car into a crowd of people at the Christmas market on Friday evening. After going public years ago with his support for Saudi women fleeing their home country, he later wrote on his website in English and Arabic: "My advice: Don't ask for asylum in Germany."

Eight years after the Berlin attack
Almost exactly eight years ago to the day, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a hijacked truck into the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. Twelve people were killed, the 13th victim died as a result in 2021. More than 70 people were injured. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police.

Police in other cities with Christmas markets are now also being particularly vigilant. In Stuttgart, a police spokesman said that police forces had been made aware of the situation on the ground. In Berlin, officers have been called upon to pay increased attention to Christmas markets.