After a tragic incident at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg where four women and a nine-year-old boy were killed by a man driving a car into them, the 5–year-old accused has been remanded into custody.
On Friday, a black BMW car harrowed through a crowded market in Germany’s Magdeburg and injured over 200 people. The suspect, named in local media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, is a Saudi Arabian citizen, who worked as a doctor and has lived in Germany for over a decade.
The accused appeared before a judge on Saturday evening as the Magdeburg Police said that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and they have urged the public to share photos or videos related to it.
“The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm,” the police said in a statement.
People have laid flowers and candles in front of the Johannis church close to the Christmas market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday. (AP Photo)
Magdeburg police on Sunday confirmed the death of four women in the incident, who were aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 respectively.
Officials said that just after the incident was reported on Friday at 7pm local time (6pm GMT), 100 police, medics and fire fighter personnel were rushed to the spot along with 50 rescue personnel who went to the scene.
A memorial service was held for the victims of the attack on Saturday morning which was attended by the family members of the victims, emergency personnel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well.
Scholz pledged that Germany will respond “with the full force of the law” to the car ramming attack which has killed five and injured over 200 others. He condemned the attack as a “terrible act”.
The German authorities have confirmed that the suspect Taleb is said to have carried out the car attack alone.
Detailing about the motive of the attack, the chief of the Magdeburg Public Prosecutor’s office, Horst Walter Nopens, said it was still early to determine the exact reason but the suspect may have been unhappy with Germany’s treatment of Saudi refugees.
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