Car drives into crowd at Christmas market in Germany, injuring multiple people: Police

A car plowed into people at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, injuring multiple victims and sending many fleeing in panic, according to police.

Extensive police operations are underway at the Magdeburg Christmas market, which is now closed, police said.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

Magdeburg is about a two-hour drive west of Berlin.

This incident comes nearly eight years to the day after a terror attack at a different German Christmas market. On Dec. 19, 2016, a man drove a truck into a crowd at a market in Berlin, killing 13 and injuring dozens.

The potential for vehicle-ramming attacks is an ongoing concern for U.S. law enforcement officials, especially ahead of New Year’s Eve. A joint threat assessment about New Year’s Eve in New York City’s Times Square noted that the use of vehicle-ramming alone or in conjunction with other tactics “has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors in the West.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.