Two people lost their lives, including a child, and dozens were injured Magdeburg in Germany when a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market on Friday night, adding further tension to an election campaign already engulfed by a bitter debate over immigration just two months before the polls.

At least 70 other people were injured, including 15 who were left in critical condition, according to the city government.

Videos posted on social media showed a speeding black BMW plowing into the crowd at the packed Christmas market, according to witnesses.

“This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas,” said Saxony-Anhalt leader Rainer Hasselof, who was on his way to Magdeburg.

Magdeburg is to mourn the Christmas market attack by closing “all municipal cultural institutions, including the theatre, puppet theater and museums” in the coming days. Mayor Simon Boris said “my heart goes out to the victims and their families”. He added that they would set up a space near St. John’s Church to place honors near the scene of the crime and a memorial service would be held at the cathedral on Saturday at 7 p.m. local time.

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Who is the driver of the vehicle?

The driver of the car was immediately arrested and later identified as Taleb A., a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia. Hasselof said the man had been living in Germany since 2006. The suspect, a consultant in psychiatry and psychotherapy, was recognized as a refugee in 2016.

Footage from the scene shows the alleged attacker lying on the ground with his head up next to a heavily damaged black car. A policeman a few meters away points a drawn gun in his direction as bystanders look on in shock.

“As it stands, it’s a single shooter, so as far as we know there’s no further risk to the city,” Hasseloff said.

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While local authorities say they believe the suspect acted alone, a counter-terrorism expert believes it is too early to rule out the involvement of a wider network.

The suspect rented the car shortly before the attack, according to reports citing a security source, and was not known to authorities to have an Islamic background.

A woman who spoke to regional newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung said the attacker “deliberately drove the vehicle into the part of the Christmas market decorated with fairy-tale scenes”, where many families with young children were gathered.

The German authorities consider the 50-year-old Saudi an “atypical case”.

The local public television network MDR reported that no explosive device was found in the man’s car.

World leaders condemn the attack

“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected. Greece stands in full solidarity with the German people in these difficult times. Violence has no place in our societies” the Greek Prime Minister emphasizes in his post. Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen condemned the “brutal and cowardly act” in Magdeburg.

In a statement to X, the German politician said her thoughts were “with the victims”.

“My condolences to the family and friends, my thanks to the police and rescue teams,” he said. “This act of violence must be investigated and severely punished.”

The US government expressed disgust at the deadly car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, which killed at least two people and left dozens injured.

In a post on Platform X (formerly Twitter), State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed Washington’s dismay at the Magdeburg attack. “We send our condolences to those affected and stand by our friend and ally Germany,” the US State Department spokesman said.

“I am deeply shocked by the barbaric attack on the crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. With my government, I stand by the families of the victims, the injured and the entire German people. In our democracies, there should be no room for violence,” said the Italian prime minister Georgia Meloni.

The French President Emmanuel Macron wrote for his part on the X platform. “I am deeply shocked by the horrific attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany.”

“My thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. France shares the grief of the German people and expresses its full solidarity.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez he along with other world leaders condemned the Magdeburg attack.

He says he is “shocked” by what happened at the Christmas market, adding that he has spoken to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to express his solidarity with the victims, their families and the entire German people.

OR government of Saudi Arabia he also expressed “solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims,” ​​in a statement to X, and “reaffirmed the rejection of violence.”

Security issue

Security experts said they were surprised the man was able to enter the market despite heavy safeguards in place to prevent such an attack.

Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler told German media: “In the first instance it is surprising that a vehicle of this size was able to enter a Christmas market in Germany.”

“Whether it’s a Christmas market or the fans’ mile, the way to prevent such an attack is a closed perimeter with concrete or heavy metal barricades,” he stressed. Such barricades have been put up at many markets in Germany since the deadly attack on the Breitscheidplatz market in west Berlin in 2016.

Referring to the profile of the alleged perpetrator, Hans-Jakob Schindler pointed out that e.g. the fact that he is 50 years old is rather unusual.

“The age is unusual, but the nationality is also unusual,” he said, noting that the last time Saudis were involved in a terrorist attack was in 2001, in the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Germany is home to around 2,500 to 3,000 Christmas markets that are hosted across the country for about a month, from the end of November until shortly after Christmas.