Shock at the Christmas market: attack in Magdeburg is reminiscent of Berlin

Shock at the Christmas market: attack in Magdeburg is reminiscent of Berlin

In a terrible attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, at least two people, including a toddler, were killed and over 60 others were injured. These dramatic events occurred on December 20, 2024 when a man raced into a crowd with a rental car. Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff spoke of a "catastrophe" for Magdeburg and Germany. As a suspected perpetrator, a Saudi doctor, which was relocated to Germany in 2006, was arrested, whose motive and background are currently being examined.

The explosive effect of the attack feels like a return to the traumatic memories of the attack on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin eight years ago, in which 12 people died. The news from Magdeburg also caused concern in Berlin, and measures were taken to improve security on Christmas markets. Employees of the Christmas markets reacted sensitively to visitors, inquiries about unrest and moved to maintain a felt security level, as was the case with the report from Tagesspiegel

reactions of politics and security precautions

federal politicians are shaken by the events; Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed their sympathy. Scholz plans to visit Magdeburg next Saturday to evaluate the situation on site. "We are at your side and at the side of the Magdeburgers," he wrote on the X. In other cities, the police presence of Christmas markets was increased in order to prevent a similar tragedy and restore the feeling of security, such as Stuttgarter News reported.