German law enforcement official say The suspect in the mass attack on revelers at a Christmas market is a doctor who immigrated to Germany from Saudi Arabia more than 10 years ago.
The 50-year-old suspect was taken into custody after plowing his dark-colored BMW into a crowd at an outdoor market in Magdeburg around 7pm on Friday.
The attack was captured on video, showing a car driving at top speed into the crowd without braking.
Rainer Haseloff, governor of Saxony-Anhalt, said: “As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator and, as far as we know, there is no further danger to the city.”
At least 15 victims were seriously injured, officials said. Hazerov said the dead were infants and adults, but added that more deaths were possible as the seriously injured were being treated.
“This is really one of the worst things, especially in relation to what Christmas markets bring,” Haseloff added.
The suspect moved to Germany in 2006, According to To an official. He is a consultant in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He reportedly rented a car shortly before the attack. He was recognized as a refugee in 2016, but officials said they had no knowledge of his radicalization before the attack.
“The images are terrible. From my knowledge, the car crashed into a crowd of tourists,” city spokesman Michael Leaf said. “But we don't know in what direction and how far it traveled.”
Some noted that the attack occurred just one day after the eighth anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack on Berlin's Christmas market that claimed the lives of 12 Germans.
Magdeburg is a city of about 240,000 people in eastern Germany, two hours west of Berlin.
You can view the scene of the attack in news reports From DW News on YouTube.
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