The German newspaper Bild reported that four people were killed in a car-ramming at a German Christmas market in Magdeburg on Saturday after a suspect crashed into a sizable group of tourists on Friday.
A Saudi doctor who was detained as the suspected driver of the vehicle is being investigated by German authorities; according to Der Spiegel magazine, he had sympathies with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
When a car sped through crowds gathered at a central city market, more than 60 people were hurt, some critically, according to local officials. Among the dead was a small child.
The police detained a 50-year-old Saudi national who has lived in Germany for nearly 20 years. Police did not identify the man and could not immediately comment on the alleged increase in fatalities.
According to local authorities, the man was a doctor in a nearby town. Overnight, police searched his house.
After the attacker posted extremist views that endangered peace and security on his personal X account, Saudi Arabia alerted German authorities about him, a Saudi source told Reuters.
According to Der Spiegel, the suspect had AfD sympathies. The source of the information was not disclosed by the magazine.
There was no immediate response from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
Later on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Magdeburg.
As Germany prepares for a snap election on February 23, the attack coincides with increased discussion about migration and security.
Currently trailing the conservative opposition in the polls, the AfD has spearheaded calls for a crackdown on immigration to the nation.
Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for chancellor, denounced the assault on X, writing, “The images from #Magdeburg are horrifying! I’m thinking of the injured and the bereaved. When is this madness going to stop?
