On Friday, a driver identified as a Saudi Arabian citizen, rammed into a German Christmas market at Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, killing at least two persons, an adult and a young child, injuring dozens.

The premier of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, said around 60 people were injured in the incident which he described as a “catastrophe” for the city, the state, and Germany.

“It’s a terrible tragedy. It is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg, for the state and for Germany in general,” Mr Haseloff said.

The driver, identified as a 50-year old Saudi Arabian national, is reportedly a doctor. He was arrested by German police, and preliminary investigations showed that he arrived in Germany in 2016.

The police have yet to establish any link between the driver and any terrorist group.

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described Magdeburg’s incident as a bad development, while commiserating with the victims and their families.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Mr Scholz wrote in a post on social media platform X.

The attack on Friday follows a similar incident eight years ago, when Anis Amri, a Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, drove into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.