Expressing their shock over the car attack in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday that left five dead and at least 200 injured, world leaders have offered condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. The attack took place at a Christmas market when a car deliberately rammed into a crowd of people, causing multiple fatalities and injuries.
Authorities arrested a 50-year-old man at the site of the attack in Magdeburg on Friday evening and took him into custody for questioning. He has lived in Germany for nearly two decades, practising medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg, officials said.
Reaction of world leaders
British PM Keir Starmer in a post on X wrote, "I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg tonight. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected. We stand with the people of Germany."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attack in a post on X, saying, "I am deeply shocked by the brutal attack on the defenseless crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. I stand with the entire government, the families of the victims, the injured and all the German people. Violence must have no place in our democracies."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen extended her condolences to the victims' families, saying, "My thoughts today are with the victims of the brutal and cowardly act in Magdeburg. My condolences go out to the family and friends, my thanks to the police and rescue workers."
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his shock, saying, "My thoughts are with the victims, the injured, and their loved ones."
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte said that he reached out to Olaf Scholz to express his condolences, adding, "My thoughts are with the victims and their families." He added, "NATO stands with Germany."
What does the governor say?
The governor of the surrounding state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, told reporters that the death toll rose from two to five and that more than 200 people in total were injured.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that nearly 40 of them "are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.” Several German media outlets identified the suspect as Taleb A., withholding his last name in line with privacy laws, and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
(With agency inputs)
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