The number of victims from the attack on the Christmas market in Germany is increasing

2024-12-21 12:20:15, Kosova & Bota CNA

The number of victims from the attack on the Christmas market in Germany is

The death toll from a car attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg rose to five on Saturday, the state's governor announced.

The governor of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, said more than 200 people were injured, many of them seriously, when a Saudi man deliberately ran over people with his BMW at the Christmas market on Friday night.

The Saudi man has been arrested and taken into custody for questioning on suspicion of suppressing people for this attack.

The police did not comment on the reported number of victims on Saturday. On Friday, local officials announced that at least two people had been killed and warned that the death toll could rise.

German newspaper Bild reported that 41 people were seriously injured, 86 are being treated for serious injuries and 78 others suffered minor injuries.

The number of victims from the attack on the Christmas market in Germany is

German authorities are investigating a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany for nearly two decades on suspicion of trespassing on people driving in the market.

The police raided his apartment during the night.

It is not clear what his motives were and police have not yet officially named a suspect.

However, the German media have identified him as Taleb A.

A Saudi source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned German authorities about the attacker after he posted extremist views on his personal account on X, threatening peace and security.

Der Spiegel reported that the suspect had expressed sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The newspaper did not specify the source of the information.

The number of victims from the attack on the Christmas market in Germany is

Germany's FAZ newspaper reported it had interviewed the suspect in 2019, describing him as an anti-Islam activist.

"People like me, who have an Islamic past but are no longer believers, face neither understanding nor tolerance from Muslims here," he was quoted as saying.

"I am the biggest critic of Islam in history. If you don't believe me, ask the Arabs," he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Magdeburg on Saturday morning.

His Social Democrats have lagged behind the AfD and the leading conservative opposition in polls ahead of the early February 23 elections.

The AfD has led the calls to fight immigration in the country./ REL