What is known about the Magdeburg attack?

Reagime të tronditura pas sulmit të së premtes në Magdeburg, Gjermani, ku humbën jetën disa vetë dhe mjaft të tjerë. Një i dyshuar është arrestuar. Hetimet vazhdojnë.

2024-12-21 10:17:41, Kosova & Bota CNA

The attack late Friday in Magedburg has shocked Germany and caused major reactions. The state of Saxony-Anhalt declared a day of mourning until Monday morning. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to visit the site on Saturday. Scholz wrote in X: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by them and by the people in Magdeburg." The German chancellor expressed his thanks for the "committed rescue forces in these hours of distress".

Even the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed his deep concern about the destruction of a vehicle at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, which is thought to be an attack. "The joy of the Christmas holiday was cut off," the president wrote on platform X. "My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. I thank all the rescue forces for their commitment." Steinmeier drew attention to the fact that "the whole background of this terrible act has not yet been revealed."

Reactions also come from Europe. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his shock on Platform X, and wrote that France shares the sadness with the German people. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the "brutal and cowardly" act and stressed that "this act of violence must be investigated and severely punished." NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said he had contacted Chancellor Scholz and expressed his condolences.

What is known about the Magdeburg attack?

The Prime Minister of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff (CDU) spoke of a terrible tragedy and disaster for the city of Magdeburg and Germany. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, wished a speedy recovery and thanked the emergency services for their work. Other German politicians also reacted with shock after the attack in Magdeburg and expressed their condolences. Among others, Union chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, Green chancellor candidate Robert Habeck, and AfD candidate Alice Weidel, as well as the FDP's main candidate for chancellor, Christian Lindner.

For its part, Saudi Arabia condemned the act in Magdeburg and expressed its solidarity with Germany. The government in Riyadh expresses its "solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims" and emphasizes "the rejection of violence", the Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia stated on the X online service.

What is known about the Magdeburg attack?

What happened?

A car plowed into a crowd at Magdeburg's Christmas market on Friday, according to an internal report from the Magdeburg police shortly after 7 p.m. On Saturday, it was said that 4 people died, dozens were injured. According to the Magdeburg city administration, 15 of them were seriously injured. A suspect has been arrested. The driver of a black rented BMW plowed into the crowd "at least 400 meters above the Christmas market". The Christmas market was closed.

What is known about the Magdeburg attack?

Who is the suspect?

The arrested suspect is known to be a 50-year-old doctor, Taleb A., who comes from Saudi Arabia and came to Germany in 2006. According to WDR and NDR research, he is said to be a very prominent figure in the community. of Saudi migrants and was considered a contact person for asylum seekers, especially women. He has had asylum status as a political refugee since 2016. There is no information on the motive. The premier of the land, Haseloff, said that investigations are ongoing.

According to information from security circles, to which the dpa news agency refers, the arrested suspect was not previously known to the German authorities as an extremist. The statements made by the suspect until recently on social networks provide evidence that he may have felt persecuted. According to WDR research, he was extremely critical of Islam online and that he feared the Islamization of Germany. On the X platform he expressed open hatred for Islam and called himself "the most aggressive critic of Islam in history"/ DW