Authorities believe the driver acted alone, Haseloff said, adding that the man came to Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor.
Germany’s election, triggered by the collapse of a three-party coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is scheduled for Feb. 23. The opposition CDU are currently leading in opinion polls, followed by the anti-immigrant, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which asked, “when will this madness end?”
Migration has become a huge issue in Germany, which took in large numbers of refugees from Syria under former Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015. With external commentators from Elon Musk, an adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, to Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, already commenting on Friday night’s tragedy, it has the potential to steer the debate even further in that direction.
The likely next German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has outlined a conservative vision for how he’ll govern, saying he’ll sharply reduce the number of asylum-seekers being allowed to settle in the country.
Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed the incident shortly after it happened, saying his thoughts were “with the victims and their families.” He said he stood by the people of Magdeburg and thanked rescue workers “in these anxious hours.”
According to WELT, POLITICO’s sister publication in the Axel Springer group, the driver had rented a car that he drove to the market that was thronged with revelers.
