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The driver drove his car into a crowd of shoppers on a busy street German Christmas market on Friday nightkilling at least four people and injuring at least 68 in what is suspected to be a deliberate attack.
Extensively the police The operation is in progress after attack on the market in the German city of Magdeburg it happened around 19:00 local time.
The authorities confirmed that a child was among the dead, while local media reported on Saturday that 41 people were seriously injured.
A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia was arrested on Friday after the attack.
Identified as Taleb. And, he has been in the country since 2006 and according to local media, he allegedly sympathized with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
How many people were killed or injured?
At least four people died in the shocking incident, local media confirmed. One of those killed was a small child.
Authorities confirmed on Friday that 68 people were injured, including 15 seriously. However, local media reported on Saturday that 41 people are now believed to be seriously injured.
German newspaper Bildreported that 86 people were being treated at the hospital for their injuries, and another 78 had minor injuries.
Local media reported that he was a supporter of the far-right German Alternative for Germany party.
Saxony-Anhalt Governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters earlier that additional deaths could not be ruled out due to the number of injured.
He said: “As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,
“Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many.”
Who is the suspect?
The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who first came to Germany in 2006, Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang told reporters.
German media call him Taleb. ANSWER: He was recognized as a refugee in 2016 and is a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy in the nearby town of Bernburg.
“The perpetrator has been arrested,” Zieschang confirmed. “He is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, who first entered the Federal Republic of Germany in 2006. He had a permanent residence permit, and therefore a permanent residence permit.”
The vehicle, a black BMW, was shown crushed at the scene behind a police cordon. Officials believe the suspect acted alone.
Verified bystander footage shows the arrest of the suspect at a tram stop in the middle of the road.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so as far as we know, there is no further danger to the city,” Haseloff said at a news conference.
German public broadcaster MDR previously reported that police suspected there might be explosives in the suspect’s car, but police later confirmed that none had been found after a closer inspection.
The fairytale market turns into war-like scenes
The witness told a German newspaperCentral German newspaper that she and her children jumped out of the way of the business vehicle as it plowed into the crowd.
An anonymous witness described the area as a “fairy tale” before the attack.
A man who runs a burger stand told the newspaper that the driver drove past his stand and described the aftermath as “war-like”.
Another witness said Bild that her boyfriend has been hit and that she is frantically trying to locate him.
A woman named Nadine, 32, told the newspaper that she was holding his hand when the car sped towards them.
“He was hit and dragged from my side. He was terrible. Nobody even screamed. You couldn’t even hear the car.”
She said her boyfriend suffered head and leg injuries and she did not know where he was. “We don’t know which hospital he went to,” she said. “The uncertainty is unbearable.”
Where is the Christmas market?
The Christmas market is in the city of Magdeburg, which is located west of Berlin. It is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of 240,000.
On the last Friday before Christmas, the big market was bustling and full of customers.
He was evacuated immediately after the attack, and organizers urged the public to stay away from the area.
In the footage from the scene of the fenced part of the market, remains from the festive stalls on the ground are visible.
Yesterday, a service was held to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin. An attack carried out by Anis Amri in 2016 killed 13 people and injured dozens more when he ran into a crowd.
The Associated Press contributed reporting