Two people died when a car crashed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Germany Crime News

The driver involved in the incident has been arrested, officials are calling the incident an assault.

At least two people were killed and 68 injured after a car plowed into a crowded Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, which is part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Officials on Friday night described the incident as a deliberate attack and announced that the driver had been arrested.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was among the many who expressed condolences over the incident.

“My thoughts are with those who have suffered and their families,” wrote Scholz on social media X.

“We are on their side and on the side of the people of Magdeburg. I am very grateful to the rescue workers who volunteered during these anxious hours.”

Saxony-Anhalt’s interior minister, Tamara Zieschang, identified the suspect as a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who came to Germany in 2006.

Another government official, Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff, told local television that one of the dead included a child.

“This is a bad event, especially in the days before Christmas,” Haseloff told dpa.

Of the injured, 15 were identified as being in critical condition, according to the city government’s website. Another 37 people were seriously injured and 16 were slightly injured.

Local media reports indicate that the vehicle involved was seen traveling at high speed, before crashing into the crowd at around 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

Some details to follow.