Latest attack on German Christmas market: US ‘shocked’ by incident

LONDON — The United States was “shocked and saddened” by Friday’s suspected terrorist attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, a State Department spokesman said.

At least two people were killed and nearly 70 injured when a car plowed into festive market-goers in the eastern German city, about 75 miles west of the capital Berlin.

A small child and an adult were killed in the attack, according to Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff. At least 15 of the injured were seriously injured, according to a local official.

One suspect — a doctor from Saudi Arabia in his 50s — was arrested, Haselhoff said. The man has lived in Germany since 2006. A rental car was used in the attack, the prime minister said.

The motive is unknown at this time, US sources say. But US law enforcement sources told ABC News that German authorities are treating the attack as a terrorist incident.

“We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured and to all those affected by this horrific incident,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Germany in mourning the loss of life. The United States stands ready to provide assistance as recovery efforts continue and authorities investigate this horrific incident,” Miller’s statement continued.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered his condolences to those affected. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Scholz said. “We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the committed rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

Friday’s attack came almost exactly eight years after a similar terrorist attack on a Christmas market in the German capital. On December 19, 2016, a man drove a truck into a crowd at a market in Berlin, killing 13 and injuring dozens.

US law enforcement officials have warned of similar vehicle attacks on US soil, particularly during the holiday season.

A joint threat assessment on New Year’s Eve in New York City’s Times Square, for example, noted that the use of vehicle ramming alone or in conjunction with other tactics “has become a recurring tactic used by threat actors in the West.”

Out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD will increase resources to similar areas around the city, including Christmas markets, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner.

“We know it’s a very festive time, it’s a busy time in the city, and we want to make sure that all of our holiday markets, all of our holiday activities are protected by our counter-weapons team, by officers on patrol, all of our counter-terrorism officers, our critical response command,” Weiner told ABC New York station WABC.