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A Saudi doctor rammed his vehicle into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, killing five people, including a young child.
A nine-year-old was among the five killed in the Christmas market attack in Germany on Friday. (AP)
India on Saturday condemned the “horrific and senseless” attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany that killed five people, including a nine-year-old boy, and injured over 200 people.
The attack took place at a Christmas market in Magdeburg when a Saudi doctor intentionally drove a black BMW into the crowded market on Friday. The driver of the car – identified as 50-year-old doctor named Tayeb A – was arrested.
“We condemn the horrific and senseless attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. Several precious lives have been lost and many have been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. Our Mission is in contact with Indians who are injured, as well as their families, and rendering all possible assistance,” said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
At least seven Indian nationals were among those injured in the Christmas attack, according to sources. Three have been discharged from the hospital. The Indian mission is in touch with all Indian nationals injured in the attack.
The attack on crowds of market visitors gathered to celebrate the pre-Christmas season comes amid a fierce debate over security and migration during an election campaign in Germany, where the far right is polling strongly.
“What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in the central city as he laid a white rose in honour of the victims. “We have now learned that over 200 people have been injured. Almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack. The statement said, “The Kingdom expresses its solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims. The Kingdom affirms its position in rejecting violence, and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and to the government and the people of the Federal Republic of Germany, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.”
Who Was The Attacker?
The interior minister for the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang, said that the suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who moved to Germany around two decades back, in 2006. The suspect has been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometres south of Magdeburg.
“As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city,” said Haseloff, adding, “Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a tragedy and one human life too many.”
Taleb is a former Muslim who is now a staunch critic of Islam. He supports Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party in Germany, which takes an anti-immigration stance. Taleb is also on the wanted list in Saudi Arabia on grave charges such as terrorism and smuggling of girls from the Middle East to European nations.
The attack comes eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.
(with agency inputs)
