Magdeburg LIVE: Five dead after Christmas market attack as Scholz condemns 'brutality'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that the death toll is now five.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the the "brutality" of the attack in Magdeburg.

He added: "It is a terribly, tragic incident."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived at the Christmas market in Magdeburg to pay his respects.

Security at Christmas markets in Berlin has been tightened after the attack in Magdeburg.

Meanwhile, a Magdeburg city councillor has announced "Christmas in Magdeburg is over" as the city comes to terms with the tragedy.

German authorities have reported that a drug wipe test on the suspect came back positive for drugs.

It is not clear what drug the suspect allegedly used

Chris Phillips, the former head of the UK's Counter Terrorism Security Office, warned that people on the UK should remain on high alert.

He told GB News: "It is concerning that this has taken place and what we're concerned about is copycats and we might have another one.

"If you do see something, report suspicious behaviour, this is advice given out by police this week.

"Or even better, report people who are perhaps going off the rails."

German newspaper Bild reports that 41 are seriously injured, 86 people are being treated in hospitals with serious injuries, and 78 people suffered minor injuries.

German police say there have been four confirmed deaths.

Pictues show the scenes at the Christmas market this morning as Magdeburg remains in shock folliwng last night's atttack.

Interior Minister Armin Schuster said: "We want to make it possible to visit the Christmas markets without worry in the coming days."

He added: "We will remain vigilant and will not let up with the noticeably high level of police presence and readiness."

Police in Magdeburg arrested a 50-year-old man after a car rammed through Christmas market goers on Friday night.

At least two people have been killed while at least 60 are injured.

The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia. He came to Germany back in 2006.

He is yet to be named by German authorities but local media have identified him as Taleb. A.

Saxony-Anhalt interior minister Tamara Zieschang said on Friday: “The perpetrator has been arrested.

“He is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, who first entered the Federal Republic of Germany in 2006. He had a permanent residence permit and thus a permanent residence permit.”

The suspect used a black BMW, which has been pictures smashed up as police inspect the vehicle.

Images emerged of the suspect being arrested on Friday.

The vehicle used to attack the Christmas market in Magdeburg has been seen in new images.

They show the vehicle smashed up and with all the doors open.

CNN report that Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has condemned Friday’s attack in a German Christmas market following previous reports that the suspect is from Saudi Arabia.

The statement said: "The Kingdom affirms its position in rejecting violence and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Federal Republic of Germany, government and people, with its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured."

The White House is closely monitoring the situation in Germany after a driver fatally plowed his car into a crowd at a Christmas market, a National Security Council official told CNN.

US officials are in touch with their German counterparts who are investigating the situation to offer support.

They said: “Our condolences go out to the victims and their families, and our thoughts are with the German people during this difficult time."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in a statement: "I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg tonight.

"My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected. We stand with the people of Germany."

More pictures from the scene have been released, including this one showing a police officer guarding at a blocked road near the Magdeburg Christmas market.

Christmas decorations can clearly be seen behind the officer, highlighting the tragedy of this attack just five days before Christmas.

The police are appealing to witnesses for photos and videos of the incident, namely through the Saxony-Anhalt police information portal.

You can find the portal here.

"It was a real chaotic situation", Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for German public broadcaster MDR told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight programme.

"We saw blood on the floor, we saw people sitting beside each other and having golden and silver foils around them. And we saw many doctors trying to keep people warm and help them with their injuries," he said.

"Everywhere were ambulances, there were police, there were a lot of firefighters."

Just last month, Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, talked about the need for "greater vigilance" at the nation’s Christmas markets.

However, Faeser said there were no "concrete" indications of danger.

She also reportedly pointed to tougher weapons laws in public spaces, which the government pursued in the wake of the Solingen knife attack in which three people died in August.

The Foreign Office said it is “closely monitoring the situation” in Germany.

A spokesman for the FCDO said: “We are in contact with the German authorities following an incident in the city of Magdeburg and are closely monitoring the situation.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected.”

Magdeburg’s city website currently states there are two fatalities with 68 people injured.

Of those, 15 people are reported to be in a “serious” condition, with a further 37 moderately injured and 16 with minor injuries.

100 firefighters are in action with three professional and four volunteer fire brigades. 50 resuce personnel are also in attendence.

Authorities have not yet given the all-clear after a piece of luggage was found on the passenger seat of the car.

According to BILD, residents are not yet allowed to return to their homes on Breiten Weg road.

There are considerations as to whether more residents will have to be evacuated.

The suspect who drove a car into crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg acted alone, according to Reiner Haseloff, Saxony-Anhalt PM.

A young child is among two people killed, Haseloff told journalists after the incident, and he could not rule out further deaths.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit the region on Saturday.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will also travel to the scene of the accident on Saturday.

BILD newspaper reports that an eyewitness from Wolfsburg had travelled to Magdeburg with her boyfriend to visit the beautiful market.

"He was hit and pulled away from my side. It was terrible.

"Nobody even screamed. You couldn't hear the car either."

Her boyfriend has sustained injuries to his leg and head.

"We don't know which hospital he went to. The uncertainity is unbearable."

French President Emmanuel Macron has posted on X that he is "deeply shocked by the horror that struck the Magdeburg Christmas market".

"France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its full solidarity."

This is the moment the alleged Saudi perpetrator of the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg was arrested after eleven people were killed and at least 60 injured.

At least two people were killed - including one small child - after a car reportedly drove 400 metres through a crowd in the German city on Friday night (December 20)

60 people have been injured, 15 of those are in a serious condition

An explosive device has been found in the vehicle, according to Reuters

The suspect, who has been arrested, is a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor, who is said to have arrived in Germany in 2006

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said his thoughts are with the victims

Michael Reif, spokesperson for the city, has confirmed the incident was being treated as a terror attack rather than an accident.

“The pictures are terrible,” Mr Reif said. “My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.”

Matthias Schuppe, regional government spokesperson, also confirmed Mr Reif’s assessment.

New images show the cordoned-off Christmas market with rubbish littering the floor.

The organisers have called on people to leave the city centre.

More information on the attack can be read here:

Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Erich Haseloff (CDU) has announced that there were at least two deaths - including, according to him, a small child.

He added that he cannot rule out further deaths due to the severe injuries some people have sustained.

At least 60 people were injured, he adds.

According to the Saxony PM, Michael Kretschmer, the suspect has been confirmed as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian man who arrived in Germany in 2006.

He is said to have been working as a doctor.

He acted alone and they do not believe there to be an ongoing threat.

At least 15 people have been seriously injured after the car drove into the crowd in Magdeburg, city authorities say.

68 people are said to be injured in the incident, which they are treating as an attack.

Nigel Farage has taken to X to comment on the Magdeburg attack, writing: " We have allowed people who hate us and our values into Europe. Christmas is their target.

"Any guesses why?"

New pictures show the number of emergency vehicles that are attending the scene in Magdeburg.

The Christmas market in Erfurt was evacuated as a precautionary measure following the incidents in Magdeburg - over 100 miles away.

Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) explained that this measure was taken at the request of the organizer. However, there were no indications of a specific danger.

A spokesperson for the city of Magdeburg has said that all hospitals in the area are preparing for a "mass casualty event", according to Reuters news agency.

Reuters have reported that an explosive device has been found in the vehicle, according to local police.

The car was driven “at least 400 meters across the Christmas market” into the crowd, a police spokesman has told German media.

As WELT learned from security circles, the suspect is said to be a man from Saudi Arabia, born in 1974.

He is said to have rented the vehicle used in the attack shortly before the attack.

A piece of luggage was said to have been found on the passenger seat.

This map shows where the attack has taken place.

The market has since been closed.

The Magdeburg Christmas market attacks comes almost exactly eight years after the December 19 2016 attack at the Berlin market.

A truck was deliberately driven into the market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.

The attack left 12 people dead and 56 others injured.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (66) commented on the attack on X. He wrote: "The reports from Magdeburg suggest something terrible is to come.

"My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg.

"My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours."

The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg appears to be an attack, the regional interior ministry says, according to news agencies.

According to the “Magdeburger Volksstimme”, at least eleven people were killed in the attack.

The newspaper cites official information.

Friedrich Merz, CDU leader and candidate for chancellor, has responded to the events, saying: “This is very depressing news from Magdeburg".

He added on X: “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all emergency services who are caring for the injured on site".

Alice Weidel, leader of the hard-Right AfD party, also wrote: “The images from Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and injured. When will this madness end?”

Numerous paramedics were deployed after the attack.

They were treating the injured lying on the ground in front of the market stalls, with blue lights flashing everywhere.

Tents have also been set up to treat the injured.

Disturbing CCTV footage shared online shows the car driving at speed through the crowd.

People are then seen running from the scene.

The Mitteldeutsche Zeitung spoke to anonymous eyewitnesses.

A woman said that the perpetrator "drove into the fairy tale area of the Magdeburg Christmas market".

There were a lot of families in the area.

She said she was just able to jump out of the way with her child.

At least one person has died in the apparent attack at Magdeburg Christmas market, according to the area's state broadcaster.

However, this information has not yet been verified.

A restauranter who runs two stands at the Magdeburg Christmas market reports that the perpetrator drove right past his burger stand and completely cleared the counter, according to mz.de.

Many people jumped to the side at the last second, but not all of them managed to do so.

According to BILD, the emergency services in Magdeburg have reported that between 60 and 80 people were injured in the attack.

Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was an attack.

“This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas,” Reiner Haseloff, Saxony-Anhalt’s prime minister, said.

He added that he was on the way to see the scene himself.

The Magdeburg Christmas market is warning people on Instagram to leave the area: "Due to current events, we would like to point out that you should avoid the Christmas market.

"Please let the emergency services do their job and leave the market in an orderly manner!"

The city of Halle reacted immediately to the incident in Magdeburg and increased security measures for its own Christmas market.

The city's hospitals are preparing for possible injuries, said Tobias Teschner, head of the security department of the city of Halle.

According to BILD, the police are searching the cordoned-off area of ​​the Christmas market for explosives.

The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Erich Haseloff (CDU), is on his way to the scene of the accident.

Already this year, a series of security incidents at Christmas markets have raised concern.

In November, a 17-year-old German-Turkish national was apprehended in the northern town of Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, for planning a truck attack inspired by the 2016 Berlin market tragedy.

On December 1 in Schöneck, Saxony, the mayor and another individual were shot at with a Softair pistol.

Three days later, a 37-year-old Iraqi national was arrested in Augsburg, Bavaria, for allegedly scouting the Christkindlesmarkt, and sharing Islamic State propaganda.

On Dec. 19, 2016 in Berlin, an Islamic extremist attacker plowed through a crowd of Christmas market-goers with a truck, leaving 13 people dead and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.

A video on social media by user @muirytAtyrium shows police on scene at the Magdeburg Christmas market.

https://x.com/muirytAtyrium

According to BILD, more than 20 people have been injured in the attack.

According to initial reports, the vehicle broke through barriers and ran over several people.

The Christmas market has been closed, with the organisers calling on people to leave the city centre.

The driver of the car was arrested, the agency said, citing unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

There was no immediate information on whether people were killed or injured.

The city of Magdeburg lies west of Berlin.

It is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 24,000 inhabitants.

Videos on X show scenes of chaos in Magdeburg, with many police and fire vehicles on scene.

According to various people, a vehicle drove through the Christmas market despite security measures and ran over several visitors.

We are Magdeburg writes that according to initial reports, "a vehicle drove past the Flair at the level of the former McDonald's and turned towards the market square. Several people were run over and injured."

Videos on social media show people on the ground and a large police operation near the Christmas market.

Witnesses speak of "scenes of panic".

According to We are Magdeburg, "Magdeburg firefighters, police and rescue workers are currently on their way to the Christmas market".

A car is said to have crashed into the Christmas market in Magdeburg.

According to people on social media, several people are said to have been injured.