"My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on social media platform X, Xinhua reported.
Speaking to broadcaster ARD, Saxony-Anhalt's state premier said that the suspected perpetrator is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany since 2006 and working in Saxony-Anhalt. He noted that 15 of the injured are in serious condition, warning that the death toll could rise.
The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, according to dpa, which added that the suspect was not previously known to law enforcement as an extremist.
The car, identified as a black BMW by Spiegel, reportedly drove into the crowd at approximately 7:04 p.m. Witnesses described the driver's movements as a "zigzag course across the entire market area," according to the local newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. Police said that the vehicle traveled "at least 400 meters across the Christmas market."
The Christmas market, located near Magdeburg's city hall, was immediately closed following the incident. Emergency services, including ambulances and fire personnel, responded in large numbers to assist the injured.
Magdeburg, a city of approximately 237,000 residents, is located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, about 150 km west of Berlin.
The incident echoes a tragic attack nearly eight years ago, on Dec. 19, 2016, when an extremist terrorist drove a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring over 70 others. The perpetrator fled to Italy, where he was eventually shot dead by police.