Russian Ambassador Nechayev expresses condolences in connection with the terrorist attack in Magdeburg

Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev has sent a message of condolences to the German authorities after the tragedy in Magdeburg, where a car driver ran over visitors to a Christmas fair. According to the Russian diplomatic mission on December 21, the letter was addressed to Rainer Haseloff, prime minister of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt.

"The news of the brutal attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, in which innocent people were killed and injured, deeply shocked us", Nechaev was quoted as saying in Telegram.

The Russian side strongly condemned the terrorist attack, noting that Moscow categorically "rejects terrorism as a means of achieving political and other goals."

"We express our deep condolences to the loved ones of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured", the diplomat said.

What happened in Magdeburg: a car drove into the crowd at the Christmas fair

There are dead and wounded

The previous evening, a car crashed into a crowd of people at a fair in Magdeburg. The representative of the German government in the state of Saxony-Anhalt Matthias Schuppe called the incident a terrorist attack. Soon it became known about the detention of the suspect - a native of Saudi Arabia born in 1974. The police specified that he most likely acted alone. Information about the presence of an explosive device in his car was not confirmed. However, the media specified that drugs were found in the man's blood.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. The Russian Embassy in Germany clarifies information about the presence of Russian citizens among the injured.

On December 21, Scholz, while at the site of the tragedy in Magdeburg, stated the importance of investigating the terrorist attack and preserving the unity of the nation in a difficult period. Haseloff stated about the death of five people and more than 200 injured. He also specified that the condition of many victims was assessed by medics as extremely serious.