‘A Terrible Scene’: At Least 2 Dead, Dozens Hurt After SUV Driver Plows Through Crowd at Christmas Market in Germany [UPDATED]

Sarah RumpfDec 20th, 2024, 3:07 pm
 

At least two people are dead and dozens hurt, some severely, after a driver plowed an SUV through a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, CNN reported on Friday.

“This is a terrible scene,” anchor Brianna Keilar said, commenting on the photos and video showing “a lot of people on the ground, people tending to them, folks who seem unresponsive.”

The driver of the car has been taken into custody, Keilar reported.

The incident took place at a Christmas market crowded with shoppers on the last Friday evening before the holiday.

Additional reporting from CNN mentioned social media videos that CNN had verified that showed a “black car” that “drove directly into the crowd at the busy Christmas market”:

In the video, dozens of people are crowded at the market stalls when the vehicle plows directly into them. Some people can be seen running away from the car in panic, others dive into the stalls.

Bodies and debris are scattered across the narrow lane as the car turns out of the plaza.

CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen reported that the car has been identified as a black BMW. German media are reporting as many as 80 people injured.

Fox News anchor John Roberts also reported on the incident, noting that there were unconfirmed reports that as many as 11 people may have been killed. Fox aired additional photographs from the scene, showing a large police presence and people attending to the wounded.

Magdeburg police posted an update that said (translated from German) the initial report was that “[e]xtensive police operations were being conducted at the Magdeburg Christmas Market. The Christmas Market in the downtown city center is closed. There will be more updates.”

Volkstimme, the local Magdeburg newspaper, reported that the driver of a black SUV “dabei hat er Absicherungen durchbrochen und auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt mehrere Menschen überfahren,” (he broke through safety blockages and ran over several people at the Christmas market.”

“Laut Augenzeugen habe er einen Zickzack-Kurs quer über das gesamte Marktgelände gesteuert – offenbar, um möglichst viele Besucher zu erfassen. Beim Versuch, zu wenden, sei er von Polizisten gestoppt und festgenommen worden. Zur Identität des mutmaßlichen Täters gibt es noch keine Informationen,” the report continued. (Eyewitnesses say the driver steered a zig-zag course through the whole market area, apparently to hit as many people as possible. As he tried to turn, he was stopped by the police and arrested. There is no information yet about the alleged perpetrator’s identity.)

The latest updates have the death toll at two, and 68 people injured, at least 15 of whom had serious injuries, CNN anchor Jake Tapper reported.

CNN chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance added that local German media were reporting that the driver had been identified as “a Saudi doctor,” and there were reports that local police suspected there was an explosive device in the driver’s car.

Tapper also reported that local German authorities were saying that the suspect is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who has been in Germany since 2006.

Sadly, the dead have been confirmed as an adult and a toddler.

Additional updates from Volkstimme include that the alleged perpetrator had been living in Bernberg, a town about 30 miles south of Magdeburg, and police were conducting an investigation there.

“Wir haben einen Tatverdächtigen in Gewahrsam genommen” (We have taken a suspect into custody), Magdeburg police confirmed Friday afternoon.

Watch the clips above via CNN and Fox News.

This is a breaking news story and has been updated with additional information. 

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Bluesky and Threads.