On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Magdeburg to pay tribute to the victims of the tragic incident that took place the day before. He was joined at the scene by Interior Minister Nancy Feather and Justice Minister Volker Wissing. At least four people were killed, including a child, and 41 others were injured when a car ploughed into a crowd near a Christmas market, AFP reports.
Scholz, dressed in black, laid flowers near a church located near the scene of the tragedy. The police detained a suspect, a 50-year-old doctor of Saudi origin, who, according to preliminary data, drove a rented car into the crowd.
The man, who moved to Germany in 2006, was not known as a supporter of radical Islam. On the contrary, he criticised the Islamisation of Germany and helped refugees in his professional life.
The motives for the crime remain unknown and the investigation is ongoing. The authorities expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the injured and assured them of full cooperation in the investigation.
