Tonight’s tragic events took place in one of central Germany.
The city is about an hour and a half drive from the capital, Berlin.
The annual Christmas market attracts thousands of tourists.
The city is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, has a population of about 240,000 and is crossed by the river Elbe.
The culture of Christmas shopping
Christmas markets like the one in Magdeburg have been a part of German culture since the Middle Ages. The markets were loved and quickly spread to other European cities. It is worth noting that more than 100 similar Christmas markets opened and are operating in Berlin alone at the end of last month.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that an attack has taken place on a Christmas market in Germany. In 2016, a 24-year-old Tunisian, Anis Amri, drove a truck into the Christmas market in Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz, killing 12 people and injuring 56 others.
