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Magdeburg Christmas market attack: Death toll rises to 4 in Germany car-ramming incident

A young child was among the dead, and more than 60 people were injured, some of them seriously

Published: Sat 21 Dec 2024, 1:23 PM

Updated: Sat 21 Dec 2024, 1:24 PM

  • By
  • Reuters

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Emergency workers are seen at a closed Christmas market where a car crashed into a crowd in Magdeburg, eastern Germany on December 21. Photo: AFP

Emergency workers are seen at a closed Christmas market where a car crashed into a crowd in Magdeburg, eastern Germany on December 21. Photo: AFP

The death toll from a car-ramming incident at a German Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg rose to four on Saturday, according to German newspaper Bild/

German authorities are investigating a Saudi doctor, arrested as the suspected driver of the car that ploughed into a large crowd of visitors at the market.

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Over 60 people were injured, some of them seriously, and a young child was among the dead, local officials said.

Police said they arrested a 50-year-old from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany for almost two decades. They did not name the man and were not immediately available to comment on the reported rise in the death toll.

The man worked as a doctor in a nearby town, local officials said. Police searched his home overnight.

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

Germany's domestic intelligence agency was not immediately available for comment.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to visit Magdeburg later Saturday.

The attack comes at a time of heightened debate over migration and security in Germany, which is gearing up for a snap election on February 23.

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