Chancellor Scholz to visit Magdeburg attack site – DW – 12/21/2024

The Berlin state government has ordered tighter security at Christmas markets in the German capital after a deadly attack on a festive gathering in Magdeburg.

Announcing the move, Berlin Interior Minister Iris Spang said officials were in close contact to discuss increasing their presence in the city.

“My sincere sympathies go out to the victims and their families during this difficult time,” Spang said.

Magdeburg is about a two-hour drive from Berlin.

Friday night’s atrocity came almost eight years after the Islamic terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. Authorities have not commented on a possible connection between the two attacks.

On 19 December 2016, a man drove a truck into a crowd at Breitscheidlitz, killing 13 people. More than 70 people were injured, some seriously.

The attacker fled to Italy, where authorities killed him.

German media, citing social media posts, reported that the alleged Magdeburg attacker is an activist who holds critical views on Islam and is a supporter of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The 50-year-old Saudi doctor, who has permanent residence in Germany, had previously described himself as an ex-Muslim, the dpa news agency said.

The news agency said the alleged perpetrator had written negative social media posts about German officials.

Among other things, he accused Berlin of not doing enough to tackle Islamism.

Despite supporting Saudi women fleeing their homeland due to persecution, she advised them: “D0 Do not seek asylum in Germany.”

German news magazine Der Spiegel also reported that the suspect’s social media posts indicated his sympathy for Germany’s AfD party.

Hours after Friday’s attack, police said the alleged perpetrator had been living in Germany since 2006.

He was arrested at the scene of the attack and taken into custody for questioning.

One of the main questions being discussed is how the suspect managed to drive a car into the crowd, especially since security measures were increased at Christmas markets to avoid these types of incidents.

I visited several markets in recent days to see the security measures firsthand and, compared to previous years, they were much more obvious: large concrete boulders at the entrance, other barriers on the sidewalks, and patrolling police officers. . At least in the markets I visited, it would have been very difficult for anyone to drive in a crowd.

The incident will likely spark debate over whether security measures to protect public spaces in Germany are effective enough or whether additional efforts are needed.

At least in the short term, there is hope for increased security at Christmas markets. For example, authorities in Berlin announced the deployment of additional personnel to the city’s Christmas markets.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to visit the scene of a fatal car collision involving visitors to a Magdeburg Christmas market.

Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Feser will visit the market, where flowers of condolence have already been laid.

Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Rainer Hasselhoff said he would discuss “necessary measures” to be taken with the chancellor.

“We need to work on this now and find long-term results,” Haseloff said.

Two people, including a small child, were killed and 60 others were injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd of people in a German city on Friday.

Scholz expressed his condolences in a statement on social media platform X.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand with them and the people of Magdeburg,” he wrote on Friday night.

At around 7 pm on Friday evening, a man in a rental car drove his car into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg. The man killed two people and injured at least 60 others.

The kingdom’s Prime Minister Rainer Hasselhoff said the suspect was a 50-year-old Saudi national who worked as a doctor and had lived in Germany since 2006.

The suspect is believed to have committed the crime alone and was arrested at the scene.

Authorities have not yet made any statement on the possible motives behind the crime.

Several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, issued statements of condolence.

Magdeburg Mayor Simon Boris said a memorial service would be held in the city’s cathedral on Saturday evening.

dvv/sms (dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters)