At least one person was killed and several others injured when a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg on Friday. Local authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The number of victims was not immediately clear.
The driver of the car was arrested, German news agency dpa reported, citing unnamed government officials in Saxony-Anhalt.
Broadcaster MDR said a large number of police officers and emergency services were at the scene, and the head of the Christmas market told people to leave the city centre.
Witnesses cited by the broadcaster said the car appeared to have driven straight into the crowd at the Christmas market and headed in the direction of City Hall.
Magdeburg, west of Berlin, is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of approximately 240,000.
On December 19, 2016, an Islamic extremist gunman plowed a truck into a crowd of Christmas market goers in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring dozens. The attacker was killed days later in a gunfight in Italy.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser said late last month that although there were no concrete signs that this year's Christmas markets were in danger, it was wise to be cautious.
More details coming soon…
