Germany in shock after Christmas market ramming attack kills 5 people

Authorities say suspect, a 50-year-old citizen of Saudi Arabia, had Islamophobic views

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MAGDEBURG - Germany reeled from the shock of a deadly attack on a crowded Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, as the authorities began their search for a motive.

A man ploughed a sport utility vehicle into the crowd at a Christmas market set up in a narrow alley on the evening of Dec 20 in Magdeburg, formerly a part of East Germany, with a population of about 240,000.

At least five people were killed and more than 200 injured, dozens of them seriously, Saxony-Anhalt state's Premier Reiner Haseloff said on Dec 21, updating the toll. A young child was among the dead.

Surveillance footage circulating on social media shows a black BMW ramming into a large crowd at the market shortly after 7pm. The vehicle then turns right onto another crowded street. Video of the aftermath shows people helping the wounded as cries are heard.

The vehicle travelled some 365m before it stopped, officials said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the market on Dec 21, where he described the attack as a "terrible catastrophe".

He said Germany would respond "with the full force of the law" over "the terrible attack that injured and killed so many people".

He also made a call for national unity at a time when Germany has been rocked by a heated debate on immigration and security as it heads for elections on Feb 23, 2025.