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'My little teddy bear didn't do anything to anybody'
The Independent
|December 23, 2024
Mother’s tribute to boy, 9, killed in attack on German market
The youngest victim of the attack on a Christmas market in Germany has been named by his family. In a heartbreaking social media post, the mother of nine-yearold Andre Gleissner paid tribute to her "little teddy bear".
Andre was one of five people who were killed when a BMW rammed into a bustling Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg at around 7pm on Friday.
Desiree Gleissner wrote on Facebook: "Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. Andre didn't do anything to anybody.
He was only with us on earth for nine years. Why you? Just why? You will always live on in our hearts... I promise you that." The fire department in Schoppenstedt, around an hour's drive from the city, said Andre was a member of the children's fire brigade in Warle. Saying he "left us much too soon", the brigade added: "Our thoughts are with Andre's relatives, who we also want to support during this difficult time." A fundraiser has been set up on behalf of his mother to support his family as they "move through the journey of grief at their own pace".
This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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