Motorist drives into Magdeburg Christmas market, suspected attack

A driver drove into a group of people at the Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. The driver has been arrested.

The state government in Saxony-Anhalt assumes it was an attack, a spokesperson told German media. Shortly after the incident, the local channel MDR reported on the basis of the police that at least one person had been killed. Dagblad Bild now reports eleven deaths. That number has not been confirmed by official sources.

There are also reports that between 60 and 80 people have been injured.

The car reportedly drove straight into the crowd heading towards City Hall. Unverified images are circulating on social media showing people lying on the ground.

German Chancellor Scholz said in a statement on X that the reports from Magdeburg “indicate something bad”. His thoughts are with the victims and their families. “My thanks go to the dedicated rescuers in these anxious hours.”

The organizer of the Christmas market has called on people to leave the city center of Magdeburg. The prime minister of the state is on his way to Magdeburg. He speaks of a “terrible event”.

A man who ran two stalls at the Christmas market reports to the local newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that the motorist drove straight past his hamburger stall and knocked over the counter. He speaks of “war-like conditions”.

First images of the Christmas market in Magdeburg where a car drove into the public. It can be seen that emergency services are arriving en masse:

In 2016, thirteen people were killed in a truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. Since then, Christmas markets in Germany have been under strict security.

Mitteldeutsche Zeitung reports that the city of Halle, about 80 kilometers away, increased security measures for its own Christmas market immediately after the attack. Hospitals in Halle are preparing to receive the injured.