Driver kills at least 2 in car attack at German Christmas market

Dec 20, 2024

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Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), Roey Hadar (Producer), Harry Fogle (Video Editor)

At least two people died Friday, Dec. 20, after a driver plowed a car into a Christmas market in Germany. The attack wounded at least 60 others.

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Authorities said they believed the attack was deliberate and identified the two people who died as an adult and a toddler. They added that 15 people suffered serious injuries and that more deaths could be possible.

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The incident occurred around 7 p.m. in the city of Magdeburg in eastern Germany.

Local authorities say the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the attack, is a 50-year-old doctor originally from Saudi Arabia who moved to Germany in 2006. They believe he acted alone.

At the time, the market was full of shoppers enjoying the start of the final weekend before Christmas.

Christmas markets are a major part of German culture, dating back hundreds of years.

Friday’s attack comes just one day after the eight-year anniversary of a similar attack in Berlin in 2016, where an Islamist attacker drove a truck into a market, killing 12 people.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent his condolences.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg,” Scholz posted on social media.

City officials plan to hold a memorial at the city’s cathedral on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Tags: christmas, Crime, Germany, saudi arabia

LAUREN TAYLOR: At least two people died Friday after a driver plowed a car into a Christmas market in Germany. The attack wounded at least 60 others.

Authorities said they believed the attack was deliberate, and that the two people who died were an adult and a toddler.

They added that 15 of those injured had serious injuries, and that more deaths could be possible.

The incident occurred at around 7 p.m. in the city of Magdeburg in the eastern part of Germany. Police arrested the driver shortly afterward.

At the time, the market was full of shoppers enjoying the start of the final weekend before Christmas.

Christmas markets are a major part of German culture, dating back hundreds of years.

Friday’s attack comes just one day after the eight-year anniversary of a similar attack in Berlin in 2016, where an Islamist attacker drove a truck into a market, killing 12 people.

Local authorities say the suspect is a 50-year-old doctor originally from Saudi Arabia who moved to Germany in 2006. They believe he acted alone.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz [Schultz] sent his condolences, posting on social media, quote, “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg.”

City officials plan to hold a memorial at the city’s cathedral on Saturday.

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.

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