Swiss president is ‘shocked’ by attack on German Christmas market

President Amherd is "shocked" by the crime in Magdeburg Keystone-SDA

Swiss President Viola Amherd has expressed shock at the attack in Magdeburg, Germany on Friday. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Amherd wrote on the social media site X. Switzerland stands by Germany in these difficult times.

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At least four people have died and more than 40 people were injured after a man drove into a crowd at the Magdeburg Christmas market. At least one young child died in the attack. Some German media reported 200 injured.

“This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg, for the state and for Germany in general,” said Reiner Haseloff, Minister President of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The police arrested a man at the scene. He is a doctor who lives and works in Bernburg.

State Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said that the man was from Saudi Arabia, had first come to Germany in 2006 and had a permanent residence permit. The police motives of the arrested suspect for the alleged attack are still unclear. 

According to media reports, the alleged perpetrator is said to have developed into a radical critic of Islam in Germany and was looking for like-minded people. According to researchExternal link by the German paper Der Spiegel, on the suspect’s account on X he sympathised with the far right AfD party and dreamed of a joint project with the party.

According to Haseloff, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to travel to Magdeburg on Saturday.

Eight years earlier

Almost eight years ago to the day, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a hijacked truck into the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. Twelve people were killed, the 13th victim died as a result in 2021. More than 70 people were injured. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police.

Police in other cities with Christmas markets are now also being particularly vigilant. In Stuttgart, a police spokesman said that police forces had been sensitised on the ground. In Berlin, a spokesperson said that officers had been called upon to pay increased attention to Christmas markets.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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