German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Feser will arrive in Magdeburg today after a man drove his car into visitors gathered at a Christmas market, DPA and Reuters reported. According to the newspaper "Bild", the death toll has reached four people, including a child, and at least 60 people have been injured, 41 of them seriously.
According to the premier of Saxony-Anhalt, Rainer Hasselhoff, the suspect in last night's attack is a 50-year-old medic who lives and works in the nearby town of Bernburg, and his exact name has not been revealed. He said he used a rental car to carry out the crime.
A funeral service is expected to be held tonight in the city's cathedral.
The suspect, who remains in police custody, is of Saudi origin and moved to Germany in 2006, obtaining permanent residency, said Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zissang.
Many questions surrounding the case, including the perpetrator's motives, remain unclear. Authorities still believe he acted alone.
Security officials told DPA last night that the suspect was not considered an Islamist by authorities. At the same time, he was known for his criticism of Islam and accused on social media and during interviews that the German authorities were not doing enough to combat Islamism.
The magazine "Spiegel" claimed, without specifying the source of the information, that the perpetrator had sympathies for the far-right party "Alternative for Germany". Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND) did not comment on the information.
The attack took place at a time of heightened debate about migration and security in Germany, which is preparing for early elections on February 23.
"Alternative for Germany", which is in second place in the polls after the conservative opposition, is leading calls for a crackdown on migration in the country.
"AfD" candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel condemned the attack. “The footage from Magdeburg is shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and the injured. When will this madness end?“, she wrote on the social network “Ex”.