Crowds are flocking to the markets in Germany for Christmas shopping. There was chaos at the Christmas market in Magdeburg around 7 pm on Friday evening when a Saudi doctor drove his BMW car into the crowd.

The accused crushed the people who were shopping. People started running to save their lives. Five people died and 200 people were injured after being hit by the car. 

Who is the accused Taleb?

• The car driver has been identified as 50-year-old Taleb Abdul Jawad, a Saudi Arabian. He has been arrested. He is a psychiatrist and has been living in Germany for two decades. The motive behind the attack is not clear.
• A Saudi source said German authorities had been warned about the attacker, who had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
• He is sympathetic to Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party.

A staunch critic of Islam, he used to traffick girls 

According to The Guardian, Taleb was formerly a Muslim who is now a staunch critic of Islam. He had rented a BMW car just before the attack. According to the BBC report, Taleb has been charged with serious charges like spreading terrorism in Saudi Arabia and trafficking girls from the Middle East to European countries.

40 in critical condition

A child was also killed in this incident. The condition of 40 people is said to be critical. There is a fear that the number of casualties may increase. Leaders of many countries of the world including Saudi Arabia, Britain, Italy, France have condemned the attack.

Musk calls for the resignation of the German Chancellor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may visit the scene. Billionaire Elon Musk has criticized Scholz and called for his resignation.

Memories of 2016 are fresh

Police said the car drove through the crowd for about 400 metres before stopping. The incident brought back memories of the attack in Berlin on 19 December 2016, when an accused drove a truck into a Christmas market.

12 people were killed and more than 70 were injured in that attack. The accused fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police. The police searched the car suspecting explosives, but nothing was found.