At least two people have died in the attack.
Dramatic footage has emerged capturing the moments when police arrested a suspect after a horrific car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday. The suspect, lying on the ground near a vehicle, was confronted by officers following the incident, which left two people dead, including a child, and 68 others injured.
The footage, verified by the German news agency DPA, shows the suspect's arrest on a walkway in the middle of a road. In the video, the man is seen lying on the ground as a police officer, positioned just meters away with a handgun drawn, commands him to remain still. Moments later, more officers arrive at the scene, swiftly moving in to take the man into custody.
The arrest comes in the aftermath of an attack that shattered the festive atmosphere at the heart of the city, turning a place of joy and celebration into one of shock and grief.
Authorities identified the suspect as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor who has been practicing medicine in Bernburg, around 40 kilometers south of Magdeburg. He reportedly moved to Germany in 2006.
Saxony-Anhalt's governor, Reiner Haseloff, confirmed the attacker acted alone, stating, "As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city."
Families gathered around the large Christmas tree at the heart of Magdeburg's festive market were enjoying the holiday atmosphere when a BMW suddenly ploughed through the crowd. Officials have cautioned that the death count could rise, with 15 people sustaining critical injuries.
According to a report in The Guardian, Hans-Jakob Schindler, a terrorist expert, told German media, "In the first instance it's a surprise that a vehicle of that size was able to drive onto a Christmas market in Germany."
Germany hosts between 2,500 and 3,000 Christmas markets each year, drawing visitors nationwide for a month-long celebration that runs from late November to just after Christmas. Ensuring the safety of these festive gatherings has been a key concern since 2016, when a truck was deliberately driven into a busy Christmas market in Berlin by an Islamist extremist. The attack claimed 13 lives and left many others injured. The perpetrator was later shot dead by the police in Italy.
Just two weeks ago, German authorities announced they had thwarted a potential terror plot targeting a Christmas market in Bavaria. Acting on information from a foreign intelligence agency, a 37-year-old Iraqi man was arrested. According to reports from the German newspaper Welt, the suspect had allegedly shared social media posts glorifying violence and had photographed the Augsburg Christmas market. He was also reported to have expressed intentions of driving a vehicle into the market.
Situated southeast of Berlin in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg is home to around 2.40 lakh people.
