Death toll from deadly car attack in Germany rises to 4

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - The death toll from the deadly car attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg rose to four, local media reported on Saturday.

Citing security sources, German public broadcasters ARD's WDR and NDR television channels said that over 200 others have been injured.

According to the German media, the 50-year-old perpetrator had been living in Germany since 2006 and had permanent residency in the country.

It was reported that he worked as a doctor in the city of Bernburg and his social media accounts contained Islamophobic messages, support for the far-right AfD party, with outlandish claims that German authorities were "chasing Saudi asylum seekers to destroy their lives" and "Germany wants to Islamize Europe."

He had posted on social media, expressing "concerns about the rise of Islam in Germany."

He wrote in June a post about German police using "dirty tactics" against him and other critics of Islam to "destroy their anti-Islam activism."

The attack occurred on Friday in the popular Christmas market at Magdeburg's city center. Videos on social media showed a dark car speeding into the crowd, sending people fleeing in panic and causing chaos at the festive gathering.

The perpetrator was arrested after the attack.

Police maintained a heavy security presence at the Christmas market and cordoned off the area to secure the crime scene. Local authorities urged residents to avoid the area while investigations were ongoing.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel