Magdeburg, Dec 22, (V7N) - At least two people were killed and around 60 others were injured when a car crashed into crowd at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, Germany, on the evening of Decmber 20. Among the victims, one was a young child according to local officials.

The driver, described as a doctor from Saudi Arabia, has been arrested by police. German authorities have confirmed that the attack was carried out by a lone individual. The attack took place at a time when the market was bustling with people celebrating the holiday season.

Reiner Haseloff, the Premier of Saxony-Anhalt, expressed his shock, calling it a "terrible tragedy" and a catastrophe for both the city of Magdeburg and the entire country. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also shared his condolences, expressing his thoughts with the victims and their families on social media.

A video shared on social media captured the horrific moment when the car sped through a crowd between market stalls, knocking people to the ground as others ran for safety. Authorities have not confirmed the exact number of casualties but have launched a large-scale operation in response.

This tragic incident brings to mind the 2016 attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, where a truck driven by Anis Amri, a terrorist with Islamist links, killed 12 people and injured dozens.

Security measures around Christmas markets in Germany had already been heightened in response to past attacks, with the country's Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, urging people to remain vigilant.

END/WD/RH/