ADDS DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - At least one person was killed and 50 injured after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market Friday in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.
A spokesman for the state government of Saxony-Anhalt told public broadcaster MDR that authorities are treating the incident as an “attack” as the car drove straight into the crowd.
Magdeburg's Mayor Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz said initial reports indicate one person was killed in the suspected attack and more than 50 were injured, several severely.
Police confirmed that the driver was immediately arrested following the incident. German press agency DPA said the suspect is a man in his 50s who is believed to be a Saudi national. Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive.
Emergency services and firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Footage showed first responders working to save the injured while struggling to transport them to hospitals.
Videos on social media showed a dark car speeding into the crowd, sending people running in a panic and causing chaos at the festive gathering. Officials had not verified the authenticity of the videos.
Police maintained a heavy security presence at the Christmas market following the incident and cordoned off the area to secure the crime scene.