German police rule out islamist motive in Magdeburg market attack
2 Min Read
On Friday evening, a car rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing a nine-year-old boy and four women, and injuring over 200 people.
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A woman stands next to flowers and candles laid down near the Magdeburg Cathedral, after a car drove into a crowd of a Christmas Mark on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Sunday, December 22, 2024. (AP)
Speaking to the German broadcaster ZDF on Sunday, the president of the German Federal Criminal Police Holger Muench stated that there are no indications that the attack in the German city of Magdeburg was motivated by Islamist ideology.
"In this case, we have no indications of an attack motivated by Islamism, quite the opposite … This is actually about completely different motives, about an atypical perpetrator, if you will, who does not fit into such a system," Muench said.
On Friday evening, a car rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing a nine-year-old boy and four women, and injuring over 200 people.
The incident was confirmed by local authorities, with Saxony-Anhalt's minister-president Reiner Haseloff providing the casualty details.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the suspect was identified as a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who arrived in Germany as a refugee in July 2016 and held a residence permit.
Reactions from around the world
In the wake of the attack, condolences and messages of solidarity were issued by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, French President Emmanuel Macron, the prime ministers of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, and the UK, as well as the Saudi Foreign Ministry, expressing their support for the German people.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern on X, stating, "The reports from Magdeburg raise the worst fears."
"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," he added.
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Commenting on the incident, billionaire Elon Musk took to X, saying, "Scholz should resign immediately," calling the chancellor an "Incompetent fool".
The incident brings to mind the 2016 attack in Berlin, where a man drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 12 people. A 13th victim later succumbed to injuries from the assault, which was claimed by ISIS.
