Magdeburg attack in the live ticker
+++ 22:27 Haselhoff: Perpetrator used rental car +++

December 20, 2024, 8:31 p.m

According to Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff, the perpetrator drove a rental car into the crowd at the Christmas market.

+++ 22:12 Haselhoff: Two dead, including a small child +++
Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff speaks to reporters of two people killed, an adult and a small child. Additional carrier bags cannot be ruled out. Accordingly, the perpetrator comes from Saudi Arabia and came to Germany in 2006. He lives and works as a doctor in Bernburg and has a permanent residence permit. There is no longer any danger to the population, says Haseloff. The CDU politician assumes that the perpetrator was an individual.

+++ 22:06 Video shows arrest of the perpetrator in detail +++
A video online verified by RTL/ntv shows the arrest of the perpetrator on Ernst-Reuter-Allee by several police officers.

+++ 22:01 Steinmeier: Magdeburg abruptly interrupts “anticipation of a peaceful Christmas” +++
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his dismay at the attack in Magdeburg. “The anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was suddenly interrupted by the reports from Magdeburg,” explains Steinmeier on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. I would like to thank all the rescue workers for their efforts.”

+++ 21:48 Security circles: Suspect not known as an Islamist +++
According to information from security circles, the arrested perpetrator was not previously known to the German authorities as being Islamist. According to initial findings, the man is said to be around 50 years old and comes from Saudi Arabia.

+++ 21:46 City: At least one dead and many injured +++
According to the city administration, at least one person was killed in the attack. The city said there were 15 seriously injured, 37 moderately injured and 16 slightly injured.

+++ 21:44 Official: All rescue helicopters in the Halle area are heading towards Magdeburg +++
According to the MDR, the Christmas market in Halle will not be evacuated. Security was reassessed and the decision was made that the danger situation was no different than before the attack in Magdeburg, the broadcaster quoted the head of security for the city of Halle, Tobias Teschner. All hospitals in the city were preparing for last place. All rescue helicopters in the greater Halle area are heading towards Magdeburg.

+++ 21:42 Detective: “Videos show definitive attack scenario” +++
In the eyes of Dirk Peglow, chairman of the Association of German Criminal Investigators, the initial findings about the incident at the Magdeburg Christmas market hardly allow any conclusions to be drawn other than an attack. In an interview with ntv, he also explains how the large-scale operation that is now being carried out is working.

+++ 21:41 Police suspect explosives in the crime vehicle +++
According to MDR, the police suspect an explosive device in the arrested perpetrator’s vehicle. The area was cordoned off.

+++ 21:36 Erfurt clears Christmas market +++
In Erfurt in the neighboring state of Thuringia, the Christmas market in front of the cathedral is being cleared, according to MDR. Interior Minister Georg Maier says that this is the operator’s wish. There is therefore no concrete danger. Nevertheless, the police are on duty with a large contingent.

+++ 21:32 Report: Perpetrator comes from Saudi Arabia +++
The arrested perpetrator is a man born in 1974 from Saudi Arabia. The newspaper relies on information from security circles.

+++ 21:28 Scholz: “Reports foreshadow bad things” +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted to the attack with shock. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by your side and by the people of Magdeburg,” writes Scholz on X. “My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

+++ 9:24 p.m. Police: Perpetrator drove 400 meters +++
According to a police spokesman, it is still unclear whether it was a lone perpetrator. The car in which the arrested man drove “at least 400 meters over the Christmas market” was still on site.

+++ 21:21 Magdeburg University Hospital is preparing for many injured people +++
The first injured people are currently being treated at the Magdeburg University Hospital. The first ten to 20 patients are currently being cared for, says a spokesman. However, they are preparing for significantly more injuries. “We are currently upgrading,” says the spokesman for the university hospital. “Intensive care beds are ready.”

+++ 21:13 Video shows arrest of the perpetrator +++
The police report an arrest in Magdeburg. A video verified by RTL/ntv shows a person being led away by several officers on Ernst-Reuter-Allee.

+++ 9:05 p.m. Restaurateur speaks of “war-like conditions” +++
A Christmas market restaurateur tells the “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” that the perpetrator drove directly past his burger stand and completely cleared the counter. He speaks of “war-like conditions”. Many people jumped to the side at the last second, but not everyone managed to do so. The driver drove without taking any losses into account, everything happened at lightning speed.

+++ 20:58 Merz: “This is very depressing news” +++
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz reacted with dismay to the attack. “This is very depressing news from Magdeburg,” writes Merz on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. I would like to thank all the emergency services who are taking care of the injured on site.”

+++ 20:48 Rescue service reports 60 to 80 injured +++
The emergency service control center is currently saying that 60 to 80 people were injured at the Magdeburg Christmas market.

+++ 20:41 Surveillance video is said to show the attack +++
A video from a surveillance camera published online is said to show the attack. You can see a car racing through a crowd of people. The clip may play in time-lapse mode. Warning: (Warning, the clip contains explicit depictions of violence.)

+++ 20:37 Eyewitness: Driver was racing in the area with many families +++
An eyewitness reports to the “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” that the perpetrator drove into the fairy tale area of ​​the Christmas market, where many families are visiting. She was just able to jump to the side with her child.

+++ 20:25 Police speak of at least one dead +++
The MDR reports, citing the police, that there is at least one death. Several people were therefore injured.

+++ 20:07 Numerous rescue workers on duty +++
Numerous rescue workers are on duty around the Christmas market in Magdeburg. This is what dpa reporters report from on site. A driver drove into a group of people and was arrested.

A car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. According to a government spokesman, it was an attack. The driver was caught. Follow the developments in the live ticker.