Car-ramming at German Christmas market in Magdeburg leaves 4 dead, dozens injured. Suspect under investigation; motive unclear. Chancellor Scholz to visit the site today.
The death toll from a car-ramming at a German Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg rose to four on Saturday, according to German newspaper Bild, after a Saudi man was arrested on suspicion of ploughing a car into the crowd.
Scores of people were injured in the attack on Friday evening, which came amid fierce debate over security and migration during an election campaign in Europe's largest economy in which the far right is polling strongly.
The Bild report said 41 people were critically injured, 86 were receiving hospital treatment for serious injuries and another 78 sustained minor injuries.
German authorities are investigating a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany for almost two decades in connection with the car-ramming.
The motive remained unclear and police have not yet named the suspect. He has been named in German media as Taleb A.
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.
Der Spiegel reported that the suspect had sympathised with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The magazine did not say where it got the information.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Germany's FAZ newspaper said it interviewed the suspect in 2019, describing him as an anti-Islam activist.
"People like me, who have an Islamic background but are no longer believers, are met with neither understanding nor tolerance by Muslims here," he was quoted as saying. "I am history's most aggressive critic of Islam. If you don't believe me, ask the Arabs."
Andrea Reis, who had been at the market on Friday, returned on Saturday with her daughter Julia to lay a candle by the church overlooking the site. She said that had it not been for a matter of moments, they may have been in the car's path.
"I said, 'let's go and get a sausage', but my daughter said 'no let's keep walking around'. If we'd stayed where we were we'd have been in the car's path," she said.
Tears ran down her face as she described the scene. "Children screaming, crying for mama. You can't forget that," she said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to visit Magdeburg later on Saturday.
A leading member of Scholz's Social Democrats in the Bundestag parliament warned against jumping to conclusions and said it appeared the attacker did not have an Islamist motive.
Pope Leo has expressed the Vatican’s readiness to host peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Holy ...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Abu Dhabi....
Russia accuses Ukraine of repeatedly using anti-personnel mines on civilians and says Kyiv’s recent withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention will not c...
Red Bull have sacked team principal Christian Horner and appointed Laurent Mekies as the Briton's replacement, the Formula One team announced on Wedne...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he's “cautiously optimistic” about securing a U.S.-EU trade deal within days, highlighting its crucial impor...
Four days after a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg left five dead and over 200 injured, mourners gathered to pay tribute as debates over security and political responses intensified, casting a shadow over Germany’s Christmas celebrations.
A Saudi doctor with anti-Islam views drove into a Magdeburg Christmas market, killing five. Investigations are ongoing as the tragedy stirs Germany's immigration and security debates.
Saudi man investigated in deadly Magdeburg Christmas market attack, reigniting debates on security and migration in Germany's election season.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged stronger sanctions and defence support for Ukraine as the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia nears approval.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Pope Leo has expressed the Vatican’s readiness to host peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Holy See on Wednesday (July 9). The offer came during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia accuses Ukraine of repeatedly using anti-personnel mines on civilians and says Kyiv’s recent withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention will not change the conflict dynamics.
Red Bull have sacked team principal Christian Horner and appointed Laurent Mekies as the Briton's replacement, the Formula One team announced on Wednesday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he's “cautiously optimistic” about securing a U.S.-EU trade deal within days, highlighting its crucial importance for Germany’s export-heavy industries.
Shipments of antimony to the United States have jumped to more than 3,800 tonnes in five months via Thailand and Mexico, customs data show, as buyers find back-door routes around Beijing’s export ban on critical minerals bound for the U.S.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment