(VOVWORLD) - At least two people – including a young child – have been killed and nearly 70 others injured after a car was driven into a crowd Friday night at the Magdeburg Christmas market in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
The attacker is a 50-year-old male doctor from Saudi Arabia with permanent residency in Germany, where he Chad lived for almost two decades, Saxony-Anhalt's governor, Reiner Haseloff said. “We’re conducting further investigations. As things stand at the moment, we are talking about a lone offender, which means that there is no further danger to the city because we were able to arrest him."
Authorities have not concluded whether this was an act of terrorism, but said the attack was deliberate. Initial investigation revealed the suspect to be Taleb A., a political refugee known to have strong anti-Islamic views. His recent posts on social media expressed dissatisfaction with the German government, and included threats of actions.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attacks. The French President, the NATO Secretary General, and several other European leaders have also expressed their condolences.