A car driven by a Saudi immigrant plowed into a crowd in a christmas market Friday night in the central German city of Magdeburg, causing at least two deaths, according to media reports.
Police in Magdeburg, a city of 240,000 located about two hours west of Berlin by car, have not yet released official details on whether the incident was a terrorist attack. The regional governor, Reiner Haseloff, informed the media that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who has worked as a doctor in Germany since 2006.
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German news sources reported that the driver of the car was detained. The AFP news agency, citing emergency services, said between 60 and 80 people were injured.
The Magdeburg police reported in social networks that “extensive police operations are currently taking place” in the market and that “further reports will be provided in due course.”
First report:
Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market. The Christmas market in the city center is closed. It will be reported back.— Magdeburg Police (@Polizei_MD) December 20, 2024
Magdeburg is known as the city where Saint Norbert—whose legacy lives on through the Norbertine (or Premonstratensian) order throughout the world—served as archbishop until his death in 1134.
A German official warned in November about the need for “vigilance” at Christmas markets this year due to a more tense security situation overall, although no concrete threats were identified at the time. The German national security agency BfV pointed out that Christmas markets could be targeted because of their “symbolism” related to “Christian values” and as a “representation of Western culture and lifestyle.”
The incident in Magdeburg occurred almost exactly eight years after more than a dozen people were killed when a truck driven by an Islamic extremist plowed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market. That attacker fled and was later killed in a shootout with police in Italy.
In November 2023, two teenagers aged 15 and 16 were arrested in Germany on suspicion of terrorism. They were reportedly sympathizers with the Islamic State and were believed to be planning an attack on a Christmas market using a vehicle, as reported by CNA Deutsch—EWTN News’ German-language agency—earlier this year.
And in April, the German authorities reported about the arrest of four suspects who were allegedly planning terrorist attacks against Christians attending religious services and against police stations using knives and Molotov cocktails.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Jonah McKeown
Jonah McKeown is a writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, radio producer and videographer.