Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev has expressed his condolences to minister-president of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, over the terrorist attack in the city of Magdeburg, the Russian embassy in Berlin said on Saturday.
“Dear Minister-President, we were deeply shocked by the news of the cruel attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, as a result of which innocent people were injured and killed. We strongly condemn and reject terrorism as a means of reaching political and other goals. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish swift recovery to the injured,” the ambassador said in a letter.
Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has announced national mourning for the victims of the attack; all flags over government buildings have been lowered, the interior ministry said in a statement.
On Friday evening, Germany’s NTV broadcaster reported that a car had rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg. Five people, including a child, reportedly have died after the attack and over 200 were injured. Police suspect that the driver was a 50-year-old Saudi man acting alone. The Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported that the suspect had been recognized as a refugee in July 2016 and had a residence permit in Germany.
