Police and ambulances next to a Christmas market where a car crashed into a crowd, injuring dozens, according to a spokesman for the local rescue service, on December 20, 2024, in Magdeburg, eastern Germany. (AFP)

A total of 68 people sustained injuries of varying severity when a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas fair in Magdeburg, Germany, according to a statement from the city administration.

The statement confirmed, "Two killed, 15 seriously injured, 37 moderately injured, 16 lightly injured." A report from Bild, however, later revised the number to four killed.

On Friday evening, Germany's NTV broadcaster reported that a car had driven into the crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Reiner Haseloff stated that two people had died, one of whom was a small child. Police believe the driver was a 50-year-old Saudi man acting alone.

Bild, citing law enforcement sources, reported that no explosives were found in the car used in the attack. Magdeburg police confirmed that the suspect had been detained.

According to Der Spiegel, citing security sources, the incident involved a black BMW that sped through the crowded market at high speed just after 7:00 pm local time (1800 GMT), when the area was filled with visitors.

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In the wake of the attack, condolences and messages of solidarity were issued by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, French President Emmanuel Macron, the prime ministers of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, and the UK, as well as the Saudi Foreign Ministry, expressing their support for the German people.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern on X, stating, "The reports from Magdeburg raise the worst fears."

"My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours," he added.

Commenting on the incident, billionaire Elon Musk took to X, saying, "Scholz should resign immediately," calling the chancellor an "Incompetent fool".

The incident brings to mind the 2016 attack in Berlin, where a man drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 12 people. A 13th victim later succumbed to injuries from the assault, which was claimed by ISIS.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently urged the public to remain vigilant at Christmas markets, though she noted that authorities had not received any specific threats.

German news outlets reported that the Saudi doctor who conducted the attack had entered Germany and resided there since 2006.