OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:58 PM – Friday, December 20, 2024
UPDATE- 12/20- 2:32 p.m. PST- Reiner Haseloff, the regional premier minister of Saxony-Anhalt, said the suspected driver in the incident was a Saudi Arabian doctor who works in the region and acted alone.
68 people have reportedly been injured and at least two were killed in Germany after a suspected terrorist attack occured at a Christmas market event on Friday.
The suspected intentional attack took place in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, where video footage shows the vehicle speeding through a barrier and crashing straight into innocent shoppers, knocking and running them over.
“Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market. The Christmas market in the city center is closed. Further reports will be made,” Police wrote in an X post.
Magdeburg’s deputy mayor later announced that at least two people were tragically killed in the incident, with 68 more injured, according to CNN.
A mother and her child were the two victims whose lives were taken in the suspected attack, according to the CNN report.
Germany’s DPA news agency reported that the driver has now been arrested, and the holiday market was closed down to the public as police searched for possible explosives and other weapons in the suspect’s vehicle.
The attack took place at around 7 p.m. local time, with the car involved being a “dark colored BMW,” according to reports.
The suspect, who could be seen on the ground surrounded by armed police officers, is reportedly from Saudi Arabia, according to Die Welt newspaper, a German outlet.
“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours,” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an X post.
Police in New York City are now reportedly increasing security protocols around the city’s pop-up holiday markets in response to the attack, a senior NYPD official told NBC News.
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