Magdeburg (Germany), 22 December
Four women and a nine-year-old child were killed when a man drove a speeding car into crowds at a Christmas market in Germany on Friday evening. The police said that the age of the deceased women was between 45 to 75 years. He said that 200 people have been injured in the accident, out of which the condition of 41 is said to be serious. Seven of these injured are Indians. The Indian Embassy is in touch with the victims and their families and is extending all possible assistance to them. On the other hand, the Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the incident and described it as a ‘terrible and senseless attack’.
Officials said that Mashkook has been identified as a Saudi doctor. He became a permanent resident after coming to Germany in 2006. He was arraigned Saturday evening and ordered held pending possible charges. Police did not release Mashkuk’s name, but according to some German channels, he was a specialist in psychology and psychotherapy.
According to information, he was very active on social media. Posts on ‘X’ show that he was formerly a Muslim. Most of his posts focus on anti-Islamic topics. – Ap