On 20 December, Friday night, a driver drove his vehicle at high speed into a crowd of people attending a traditional Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg.

Five people were confirmed dead, including a nine year old child. At least 200 others were injured, some of them recovering from serious wounds.

The perpetrator of the attack has been arrested and identified. He is a 50-year-old Saudi national who has been living in Germany for 18 years, where he was a medical doctor specialising in psychiatry and psychotherapy. His online activity, which has been revealed in various German media, included much anti-Islamic messages, as he described himself as an ex-Muslim.

Shock and hurtful memories

The event has left the whole country in shock, bringing back memories of the tragic attack at the Berlin Christmas market on 19 December 2016.

The president of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD, the mainline Lutheran church), Kirsten Fehrs, and the president of the German Bishops' Conference of the Roman Catholic Church, Georg Bätzing, expressed in a joint press release their dismay at the “inhuman attack” and in the face of the “horror” say they share “the sadness as well as the support of many people today throughout Germany and around the world”.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Magdeburg. As churches, we mourn with the families of the victims of this terrible attack and pray for the injured and the deceased, as well as for their families who now fear for their loved ones”, the statement said. “So many innocent people were victims of this senseless violence before Christmas”.

Funeral

Churches in the city expressed their condolences and invited to a memorial service on Saturday afternoon. They Magdeburg Cathedral remained open all day until 18h, for those who wished to come and pray in silence.

Ein bewegender Moment des Mitgefühls und der Solidarität für eine tief getroffene Stadt. Ganz Deutschland steht in diesen dunklen Stunden an der Seite der Magdeburgerinnen und Magdeburger. pic.twitter.com/1xThVmu1qU

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) December 21, 2024

They also thanked the dedicated emergency services attending to the injured, as well as the pastors who support people and accompany people in these critical moments.

The “ecumenical funeral” took part in the Magdeburg Dom Cathedral.

Public cultural institutions in Magdeburg were closed until Monday as a sign of mourning. No cultural events took place either.

In Magdeburg, a city of 240,000, is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Several free evangelical churches are established in the city.

[analysis]

[title]One more year[/title]

[photo][/photo]

[text]At Evangelical Focus, we have a sustainability challenge ahead. We invite you to join those across Europe and beyond who are committed with our mission. Together, we will ensure the continuity of Evangelical Focus and Protestante Digital (Spanish) in 2025.

Learn all about our #OneMoreYearEF campaign here (English).

[/text][/analysis]