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UK Foreign Office issues update after five killed in German Christmas market tragedy
by Liv Clarke · Manchester Evening NewsThe UK Foreign Office has issued an update for British nationals in Germany after five people were killed when a card drove into a busy Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday night.
More than 200 people were injured in the attack, with 41 victims seriously or very seriously injured. A nine-year-old was among the five killed, according to officials in Germany.
The suspect, a Saudi doctor, is under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. He is currently being questioned.
Authorities identified the suspect as a 50-year-old who has been living in Germany for nearly two decades and practising medicine there. He was arrested on Friday evening at the site of the attack as medical officials tended to the injured, and was taken into custody for questioning.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Saturday German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled to the city and laid flowers at a memorial set up close to where the attack happened. He described the attack as a “dreadful tragedy”.
Following the attack, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has shared information for anyone with relatives in the area or UK nations who need assistance. Posting an update on its Germany travel information page, the FCDO said: “On 20 December there was an attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg. A local information hotline has been set up by the police for any person concerned about a relative in the area: +49 (0)391 244740.
“UK nationals in need of consular assistance can get in touch 24/7 with the Embassy online, or by phone: +49 (0) 30 204570 or +44 (0)20 7008 5000.”
Friday’s attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.