The death toll rises to 6 in the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market – DW – 01/06/2025

The death toll following an attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has risen to 6, authorities confirmed on Monday.

A 52-year-old woman who was seriously injured in the crash succumbed to her injuries at a city hospital, prosecutors said.

How did the attack develop?

On December 20, a man crashed a black BMW into a crowd at the market in the capital of the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Nearly 300 people were injured and four women and a child died on the spot.

The suspect*, aged 50, is a citizen of Saudi Arabia who had been in Germany since 2006 and was a practicing doctor.

Although he was wanted in Saudi Arabia on human trafficking charges, he was granted political asylum in 2006. Riyadh had reportedly tried to warn Berlin that he was potentially dangerous.

An investigation after the attack found that the suspect had espoused extreme anti-Islam views online and criticized what he considered the “Islamization” of Germany.

He was detained at the scene after the attack, which drew comparisons to the 2016 vehicle crash at a Berlin Christmas market that claimed 13 lives, including the perpetrator.

One of the most notable changes during the December Christmas season in Germany is the increasing installation of anti-vehicle barriers at many Christmas markets across the country.

*Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us to refrain from revealing the full names of suspected criminals.

en/kb (AFP, dpa)