Five people have now died after the car entered a busy Christmas market in eastern Germany on Friday, with another 200 injured, authorities confirmed.
Among the dead was a nine-year-old child, who was confirmed to have been killed on Friday after the attack around 7 p.m. According to German media, 41 people were seriously injured, 90 were seriously injured, and another 80 suffered minor injuries.
Speaking at the scene in Magdeburg on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters: “What a terrible act to hurt and kill so many people there with such brutality. Almost 40 were so seriously injured that we have to be very concerned about them.”
The police arrested a A 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified by local media as Taleb A, who had lived in Germany since 2006 and allegedly sympathized with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
The suspect surrendered to police on the spot and is being investigated for five counts of suspected murder and 205 counts of suspected attempted murder, authorities confirmed.
The attack drew global condemnation from world leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said he was “appalled” by the “horrific attack”.