2 Dead, 60 Injured In Germany As Car Drives Into Crowd At Christmas Market; Driver Arrested

Last Updated:December 21, 2024, 07:28 IST

The incident, being termed as deliberate attack, prompted several other German towns to call off their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and in solidarity with the victims of Magdeburg.

Several people were injured in the incident in Magdeburg, police said. [Courtesy: @CollinRugg/X]

Two people died while at least 60 others were injured after a car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, said officials who called it a deliberate attack.

They confirmed the deaths of two people, including an adult and a toddler, however, they didn’t rule out additional deaths as 15 people were seriously injured in the incident that took place at around 7 pm.

The driver of the car was arrested, German news agency dpa said.

The suspect was seen arrested on a walkway in the middle of the road as a police official pointed a handgun at the man. Other officers arrived soon to take custody of the driver.

Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.

On Dec. 19, 2016, in Berlin, an Islamic extremist attacker plowed through a crowd of Christmas market-goers with a truck, leaving 13 people dead and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.

(With AP inputs)

Berlin, Germany

News world 2 Dead, 60 Injured In Germany As Car Drives Into Crowd At Christmas Market; Driver Arrested