Mourners are attending a memorial tonight to the victims of the Magdeburg Christmas Market atrocity, in which five people have so far died and hundreds more hurt and injured
Germany: Mourners light candles at scene of Christmas market attack
A church service to those killed and injured in last night’s atrocity in Magdeburg has been held this evening, as mourners placed hundreds of candles in memory of those hurt outside.
Five people have so far died as a result of the horror, caused when a car drove through the market being enjoyed by hundreds of people days before Christmas. Earlier today it was confirmed the youngest victim was a nine-year-old child. Four others, all adults, have also so far died and the number is feared to be set to rise as another 41 people are seriously hurt in hospitals in East Germany.
A total of 205 were hurt in the incident which has shocked the world. Tonight, a church service has been held in the town, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and State Premier of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff, as well as firefighters and members of the public.
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This afternoon mourners have placed candles and flowers, as well as soft toys, near the market which stands closed and empty as police investigate. A memorial is set to be held tonight in their memory.
Earlier, a Berlin church choir whose members witnessed a previous Christmas market attack in 2016 sang Amazing Grace, and offered their prayers and solidarity with the victims.
The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barrelled into the market at around 7 pm last night, when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend. The suspect, named as Saudi Arabian Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, is currently under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm.
He is currently being questioned. He has lived in Germany since 2006, practicing medicine in Bernburg, about 25 miles south of Magdeburg.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “There is no more peaceful and cheerful place than a Christmas market. What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality.”
Describing himself as a former Muslim, the suspect shared dozens of tweets and retweets daily focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticising the religion and congratulating Muslims who left the faith. He also accused German authorities of failing to do enough to combat what he said was the “Islamism of Europe.”
Prosecutor Horst Nopens said the motive may have been “dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi refugees in Germany” but investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of what was behind the attack.
He added: “He has at least talked about the motive and we have to clear up how much of that is true.”
“We have talked about an attack. Whether it was a terror attack, we don’t know yet.”
