Magdeburg, Germany: Survivors in shock recalled the moment a car attack on Friday transformed a festive Christmas market in eastern Germany into a scene of horror and devastation.
Families were gathered around a large Christmas tree in the center of Magdeburg when a BMW suddenly sped toward them around 7:00 pm. The screams of the injured echoed through the panicked crowd as the vehicle left a path of bloodied victims and scattered debris.
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"We didn't hear the car," a 32-year-old woman named Nadine told Bild daily, saying she had come from western Germany to visit the famed market in the old town square. She said she was holding her 39-year-old boyfriend Marco in her arms when "he was torn from my side" by the SUV that careened through the crowd for 400 meters. "It was terrible," she said.
Speaking later, as more than 100 emergency responders had arrived at the chaotic scene, Nadine said in despair that she didn't know what hospital her partner had been taken to. "The uncertainty is unbearable," she said, as authorities reported at least two people had died, including a child, and more than 60 were injured.
Authorities confirmed the arrest of a suspect, identified as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor. No extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but online supporters of the Islamic State group celebrated, sharing messages like "Merry Christmas, unbeliever," according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
Local reports from the Volkstimme newspaper indicated that the attacker "drove in a zig-zag motion across the market -- clearly in an attempt to hit as many people as possible". One bystander told Welt TV that when it was all over, "everyone was lying on the ground -- children, men, injured, it's unimaginable".
"It's terrible, next to me the whole time was a dead body," another eyewitness told Welt. "I thought I was just going to a Christmas market and then something like this happens. The world is sick."
Known for its magical Christmas markets, Magdeburg typically boasts stalls selling regional crafts, marzipan, and mulled wine. However, after the attack, the city's festive lights were replaced by flashing police sirens and blue lights.
Footage from the scene showed bystanders rushing to assist the injured, some lying among the holiday stalls, while emergency personnel attended to the wounded. Loudspeaker announcements urged the crowd to disperse.
Police with assault rifles secured the area in Magdeburg, a city of around 240,000 that was once part of communist East Germany. As news spread, tributes poured in from politicians, and fans of the local football club, FC Magdeburg, observed a moment of silence at their away game.
By Friday evening, flowers had already been laid at the site of the attack, and Magdeburg's mayor, Simone Borris, tearfully announced a memorial service would take place the following day at the city's main cathedral.
One woman summed up the stunned mood when she told Die Welt daily: "I don't know in what world we're living in, where someone would use such a peaceful event to spread terror."
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Published: 21 Dec 2024, 08:04 am IST
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