Latest attack on a Christmas market in Germany: the United States “shocked” by the incident

LONDON — The United States was “shocked and saddened” by Friday’s deadly suspected terrorist attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, a State Department spokesperson said.

At least two people were killed and nearly 70 others injured when a car plowed into festive passers-by in the market of this eastern German town, about 120 km west of the capital Berlin.

A young child and an adult were killed in the attack, according to Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff. At least 15 of those injured were seriously injured, according to a local official.

One suspect, a Saudi doctor aged around 50, was arrested, Haselhoff said. The man has lived in Germany since 2006. A rental car was used in the attack, the prime minister said.

The motive is unknown at this time, US sources said. But U.S. law enforcement sources told ABC News that German authorities were treating the attack as a terrorist incident.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured and to all those affected by this terrible incident,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“We stand in solidarity with the German people as they mourn the loss of life. The United States stands ready to provide assistance as recovery efforts continue and authorities investigate this horrific incident,” Miller’s statement continued.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered his condolences to those affected. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Scholz said. “We stand with them and with the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescuers in these anxious hours.”

Friday’s incident occurred almost exactly eight years after a similar terrorist attack on a Christmas market in the German capital. On December 19, 2016, a man drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens.

U.S. law enforcement officials have warned of similar car-ramming attacks on American soil, particularly during the holiday season.

A joint threat assessment of New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square, for example, noted that the use of ram vehicles, alone or in conjunction with other tactics, “has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors in the West.”

The NYPD, out of an abundance of caution, will increase resources to similar areas around the city, including Christmas markets, according to NYPD Deputy Counterterrorism Commissioner Rebecca Weiner.

“We know it’s a very festive time, it’s a busy time in the city, and we’re going to make sure that all of our holiday markets, all of our holiday activities are protected by our counter-arms teams, by officers on patrol, all of our counterterrorism officers, our critical response command,” Weiner told ABC New York station WABC.