New Delhi: Strongly condemning the horrific attack at a Christmas market in Germany’s Magdeburg, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi called it a ‘senseless act’ that claimed five lives and left over 200 injured, including 7 Indians.
“We condemn the horrific and senseless attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. Several precious lives have been lost, and many have been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) mentioned in an official statement.
It also added that the Indian Mission in Germany was actively coordinating with injured Indians and their families, offering all possible help. “Our Mission is in contact with Indians who are injured, as well as their families, and rendering all possible assistance,” the ministry stated.
On Friday evening, a BMW car drove into a crowd gathered at the Christmas market, resulting in the deaths and injuries. Police arrested Taleb, a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor with permanent residency in Germany, suspecting him to be the rogue driver.
Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt, the state where Magdeburg is located, had reportedly confirmed the arrest. The accused had reportedly hired the BMW used in the attack. The video of the attack, which authorities are treating as a terror attack, have gone viral on the social media.
According to reports, Taleb A is an ex-Muslim, a harsh critic of Islam, and supports Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right German political party with an anti-immigration stance. Taleb was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He was born in the Saudi Arabian city of Hofuf in 1974. He had secured a permanent residence permit for Germany in 2006. In 2016, he was recognised as a refugee. He was incapable of expressing his atheist thoughts and views in Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported.
