Germany in shock after lethal assault at Christmas market | EUROtoday

uA car-ramming assault in the midst of the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, left 5 folks useless and greater than 200 injured on Friday, December 20, together with 41 severely, in accordance with Reiner Haseloff, minister-president of the Saxony-Anhalt area, who spoke this Saturday from the scene of the tragedy. The perpetrator of the assault, nonetheless on the wheel of the automobile, was rapidly arrested by the police within the night.

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, visited the location this Saturday at midday, earlier than talking. Here’s what we all know.

A stability sheet that dangers getting worse

The automotive drove 400 meters down an alley on the Magdeburg Christmas market. According to Ronni Kruk, deputy mayor of Magdeburg, a 9-year-old little one and 4 adults have been killed. 200 folks have been injured.

The toll might worsen within the coming hours, with 41 folks in critical situation.

A mysterious profile and unknown motivations

The profile of the suspect raises questions: the person brazenly criticizes Islam on social networks and appears reasonably to be a sympathizer of the AfD, the German far proper. The man, whose identify is Taleb Jawad Al Abdulmohsen, had a residence allow.
ALSO READ The profile of the suspect within the assault on the Magdeburg Christmas market turns into clearerThe police are nonetheless investigating the motives for his assault however the path of an Islamist assault appears to be receding. The man thought-about himself a former Muslim and wished to assist Saudi girls depart their nation to hunt asylum overseas.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser mentioned on Saturday that the person was “Islamophobic”. Later within the day, native prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens mentioned the investigation was ongoing, however “it appears that the crime could have as a background dissatisfaction with the way refugees from Arabia Saudi Arabia are processed in Germany.

Tribute from the German Chancellor

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, visited the site this Saturday, December 21, accompanied by his Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser. He had already reacted by believing that the events “foreshadowed the worst”. “My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. We stand with them and with the people of Magdeburg. I thank the rescue teams involved in these hours of anguish,” he wrote on the social network X.

This Saturday morning, he placed flowers in front of the church, opposite the scene of the tragedy. Many anonymous people preceded him, leaving bouquets and candles, to bear witness to the fear which froze the country a few days before Christmas and in the middle of the electoral campaign. “What a terrible event to see such brutality taking place in such an event,” he expressed on the microphone, on site. “We will stand together,” he promises, before denouncing a “terrible” and “crazy” act. The chancellor also promised to act against “those who want to sow hatred”.

Among the people, sometimes in tears, gathered on the porch of the Johanneskirche church, Michael Raarig, a 67-year-old retired engineer, said he was “sad and shocked”. “I never thought it was possible here,” he emphasizes.

A vigil will be organized this Saturday evening in the local cathedral, announced Reiner Haseloff. “The time has come for contemplation, for tears,” underlined the Minister-President, calling for political questions to be put aside for the moment.

International reactions

ALSO READ Elon Musk takes advantage of the Magdeburg drama to copiously insult Olaf ScholzEmmanuel Macron reacted on the same social network, saying he was “deeply shocked”. “France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its solidarity,” he added. The President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, deplored the “horror” aimed at “a place where only joy should reign”.

The United States mentioned it was “shocked and saddened by the tragic news” and guaranteed that Washington was able to “send help”. Saudi Arabia “condemned” the assault and expressed “solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims.” The heads of presidency of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and Spain, Pedro Sanchez, mentioned they have been “shocked” by the assault.