According to authorities, a man is facing several accusations of murder and attempted murder after allegedly driving a car through crowds at a German Christmas market, killing five people and injuring numerous more, reports RTE.
The incident in the centre city of Magdeburg on Friday night stunned the nation and heightened emotions surrounding the contentious immigration issue.
In detention was the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist who has resided in Germany for over 20 years and has a history of using anti-Islamic sentiments, reports RTE.
The attack’s motivation was yet unknown.
About 2,100 people attended a far-right gathering in Magdeburg yesterday night, and police reported several “minor disturbances” and scuffles, reports RTE.
They did not provide specifics, but they did say that criminal procedures will ensue.
The phrase “remigration” was displayed on a giant banner by protesters, some of them were dressed in black balaclavas. This term is often used by far-right sympathisers who want to deport immigrants and anyone who are not considered to be German, reports RTE.
In order to honour the deceased, other locals gathered.
Near the murder site in Magdeburg, a wave of flowers extended out in front of St. John’s Church, drawing a constant flow of sobbing mourners over the weekend.
“This is my second time here. I was here yesterday. I brought flowers and it moved me so much and I had to know today how many flowers were brought,” local resident Ingolf Klinzmann said, reports RTE.
“Why?” was written in huge letters on a placard honouring the victims.
As Germany prepares for elections on February 23, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for national unity and denounced the “terrible, insane” incident that occurred in Magdeburg on Friday, reports RTE.
He stressed the necessity “that we stick together, that we link arms, that it is not hatred that determines our coexistence but the fact that we are a community that seeks a common future” .
In a statement, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the criminal inquiry will look everywhere.
“The task is to piece together all findings and paint a picture of this perpetrator, who does not fit any existing mould,” Ms Faeser said, reports RTE.
“This perpetrator acted in an unbelievably cruel and brutal manner – like an Islamist terrorist, although he was clearly ideologically hostile to Islam,” she added, reports RTE.
In the past, the suspect had been a harsh critic of Islam and German authorities.
In recent years, he has also been interviewed by the media on his efforts to assist Saudi Arabians who have abandoned Islam, reports RTE.
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