A search is underway for a nine-year-old child who attacked a Christmas market

Tributes have been paid to a nine-year-old boy who was killed in an attack on a Christmas market in Germany.

André Gleissner died after a car plowed into a crowd of shoppers at a market in Magdeburg on Friday evening, local authorities said.

The social media post, reportedly written by André’s mother, called him “my little teddy bear” and said “he will always be in our hearts”.

Four women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 died in this incident. Authorities have detained the suspect in pretrial custody on charges of murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Another charge came from the fire department in nearby Schöppenstedt.

In a statement it said that André was a member of the children’s fire brigade in Warle, which is an hour away from Magdeburg.

The Children’s Fire brigade is a youth organization open to children aged six to 12 who love to put out fires.

“Our thoughts are with André’s relatives, who we also want to support in this difficult time,” the statement said.

The Lower Saxony fire department also paid tribute to the nine-year-old.

“We sympathize with his family, his friends and everyone who was close to him,” the statement said.

“We stand by their side in these difficult times and express our deepest sympathies,” he added.

An online fundraiser reportedly set to raise money for André’s family has received more than €60,000 (£49,900) in donations so far.

Friday’s attack left at least 200 people injured, some in critical condition.

The four women who were killed have not yet been identified.

The car entered the crowded market via the emergency lane at around 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, police said.

Witnesses described jumping out of the way of the car, running or hiding. Unconfirmed images on social media showed a car traveling at high speed on a pedestrian path between tables.

Police said the driver then returned to the road and was forced to stop in traffic, and was arrested.

About 100 police, paramedics and firefighters responded to the scene, according to city officials.

A 50-year-old man is in custody accused of five counts of murder, attempted multiple murder and grievous bodily harm, police said.

The suspect was identified in local media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a Saudi-born psychiatrist who arrived in Germany in 2006.

The cause of the attack is not yet known, but authorities say they believe the driver acted alone.

German authorities are facing questions about security after reports warned last year that the suspect could be dangerous.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it had warned the German government about al-Abdulmohsen’s extremist views, but there was no response.