On Friday evening, a man drove his car into a crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.
Five people, including a nine-year-old child, died in the attack, and more than 200 people were injured, many seriously.
German authorities have confirmed that a man has been arrested and is currently being questioned. Police believe the man acted alone.
How did the attack happen?
The first call was made to emergency services at 19:02 local time (18:02 GMT).
The caller reported that a vehicle had plowed into the crowd at the Christmas market in the middle of town.
Police said the caller thought it was an accident, but it soon became clear that wasn’t the case.
Police said the driver used traffic lights to swerve, enter a pedestrian crossing, go through the market’s emergency vehicle entrance and injure several people along the way.
In unconfirmed footage on social media, the driver was seen speeding his vehicle towards the pedestrian crossing between the Christmas stalls.
Witnesses described jumping out of the vehicle’s path, running away or hiding.
Police said the driver then returned to the road the way he came and was forced to stop in traffic. Officers at the market were able to catch and arrest the driver there.
The footage shows armed police confronting a man lying on the ground next to a stationary vehicle and arresting him. This vehicle is a black BMW with serious damage to its front bumper and windshield.
Police said the incident was over within three minutes.
Who are the victims?
It has been confirmed that a nine-year-old child and four adults were killed in the attack.
More than 200 people were injured and at least 41 of them are in critical condition.
The death toll, which was previously announced as 2 dead and 68 injured, reached much higher figures with the update made on Saturday morning.
The victims have not yet been identified.
Who is the suspect?
According to information obtained by the BBC, the name of the suspect was announced as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen in the news published in the local media.
He is a 50-year-old psychiatrist living in Bernburg, about 40 km (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.
The head of the local prosecutor’s office said on Saturday that the suspect was currently being questioned and prosecutors expected to charge him with murder and attempted murder in due course.
The reason behind the attack is not yet known, but authorities think he carried out the attack alone.
Originally from Saudi Arabia, he came to Germany in 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters that it was “clearly seen” that the suspect had “Islamophobic” views.
The suspect openly criticizes Islam on social media and spreads conspiracy theories that German officials are conspiring to Islamize Europe.
According to Der Spiegel, a complaint was filed against Taleb A. a year ago due to his statements, which were deemed by the authorities to not pose a concrete threat.
What did authorities say about the attack?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement on the social media platform X: “The news from Magdeburg awakens the greatest fears.”
According to German public broadcaster MDR, Magdeburg City Councilor Ronni Krug said that the Christmas market will remain closed and “Christmas is over in Magdeburg”.
This sentiment was echoed on the market’s website, which announced the end of the market following the attack, with only words of mourning appearing on a black screen.
In its statement regarding X, the Saudi Arabian government stated that they “stand in solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims” and emphasized that they “reject violence”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on site X on Friday night that he was “horrified by the brutal attack in Magdeburg” and that his “thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone affected.”