German Christmas market attack toll rises to 5 killed, 200 injured, minister says

[ad_1] LONDON -- At the least 5 folks are actually recognized to have been killed within the vehicle-ramming assault on a Christmas market within the German metropolis of Magdeburg on Friday, the Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff advised journalists on Saturday.

Haseloff mentioned that not less than 200 extra folks have been injured when a automotive plowed into festive market-goers within the jap German metropolis, round 75 miles west of the capital Berlin.

A younger little one and an grownup have been amongst these killed within the assault, in line with Haseloff. At the least 40 of these injured have been so critically harm that their lives are nonetheless regarded as at risk, in line with a Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

A suspect -- a health care provider from Saudi Arabia aged round 50 -- was arrested, Haselhoff mentioned. The person has lived in Germany since 2006. A rental automotive was used within the assault, the minister mentioned.

A automotive drives by the annual Christmas market within the metropolis middle, Dec. 20, 2024, in Magdeburg, Germany.

CCTV Video

The motive is unknown at the moment, U.S. sources mentioned. However U.S. legislation enforcement sources advised ABC Information that German authorities are treating the assault as a terrorist incident.

"We ship our deepest condolences to the households and family members of these killed and injured and to all these affected by this horrible incident," State Division spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned in a press release.

"We stand in solidarity with the folks of Germany in grieving the lack of life. The US is able to present help as restoration efforts proceed and authorities examine this horrible incident," Miller's assertion continued.

Scholz provided his condolences to these affected. "My ideas are with the victims and their households," Scholz mentioned in a press release. "We stand by their aspect and by the aspect of the folks of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the devoted rescue employees in these anxious hours."

Automobile drives into crowd at Christmas market in Germany

ABC Information

Christmas Market location in Magdeburg

Google Earth Studio

Friday's ramming incident got here nearly precisely eight years after an identical terror assault at a Christmas market within the German capital. On Dec. 19, 2016, a person drove a truck right into a crowd at a market in Berlin, killing 13 and injuring dozens.

U.S. legislation enforcement officers have warned of comparable vehicle-ramming assaults on American soil, significantly over the festive season.

A joint menace evaluation about New Yr's Eve in New York Metropolis's Instances Sq., for instance, famous using vehicle-ramming alone or along with different ways "has change into a recurring tactic employed by menace actors within the West."

The NYPD, out of an abundance of warning, will surge assets to related areas across the metropolis, together with Christmas markets, in line with NYPD deputy commissioner for counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner.

"We all know it is a very festive time, it's a busy time within the metropolis, and we're going to guarantee that all of our vacation markets, all of our vacation actions are protected by our counter weapons groups, by officers on patrol, all our counter-terrorism officers, our important response command," Weiner advised ABC New York station WABC.

Safety personnel stand guard on the entrance of a Christmas market the place a automotive crashed right into a crowd, early on Dec. 21, 2024, in Magdeburg, Germany.