A woman who was with her lover at Magdeburg’s Christmas market told local media that she had him in her arms as the automobile used in the attack approached them.
“He was struck and pushed away from my side. “It was terrible,” Nadine, 32, told Bild.
A dark car collided with a crowd of people at high speed before continuing to drive for hundreds of metres, according to footage published in German media.
Nadine’s boyfriend is believed to have suffered injuries on his leg and head.
Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for public radio MDR who arrived at Magdeburg’s Christmas market shortly after the incident, told the BBC what he observed.
“There were ambulances everywhere, as well as police and firefighters.
“This was a very hectic scene. We observed blood on the floor, and people seated next to one other with golden and silver foils around them. And we observed numerous doctors attempting to keep patients warm and assist them with their injuries.
“It’s a huge shock. It’s a huge shock for everyone in Magdeburg and throughout Saxony-Anhalt.
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- Full report: Two dead, dozens injured in Magdeburg car attack
So far, the attack has killed two people: a toddler and an adult. Approximately 68 persons were injured, with 15 of them badly.
Local officials told a press conference that residents provided critical first assistance to those injured in the moments before emergency personnel arrived.
The moment the guy was apprehended is captured on video, with officers pointing firearms at him and telling him not to move as he lay on the floor. The video shows more officers arriving and approaching the man before being instructed to back off.
The suspect has been apprehended and identified as a Saudi national who arrived in Germany in 2006 and was working as a doctor.
It is unclear what his motivation was, and the man has no known links to Islamist militancy.
This is hardly the first attack on a Christmas market in Germany. In 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing twelve people.
Only last month, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the need for “greater vigilance” at the popular markets.
However, Faeser stated that there were no “concrete” indications of risk. She also reportedly cited tighter weapons rules in public places, which the government implemented in the aftermath of the Solingen knife attack, which killed three people.
In another case, a 26-year-old Syrian man was jailed after prosecutors accused him of being a member of the Islamic State organization.
The Solingen tragedy, which occurred in August, exacerbated Germany’s already contentious debate about asylum and migration.