Five Dead, Dozens Injured After Driver Plows Through German Christmas Market

Updated 12/21/24 1:35 p.m. EST

The incident is being investigated as a potential deliberate attack. The suspect's identity, a Saudi Arabian doctor, was given varying levels of prominence in new stories.

The Details: A Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, was upended Friday evening when a car plowed through a thick crowd of people. Authorities confirmed five deaths, one of which was a small child, and over 60 injuries; they said the death toll may rise, as at least 15 of the injuries were life-threatening. Regional governor Reiner Haseloff identified the suspect, who was apprehended by law enforcement at the scene, as a male doctor from Saudi Arabia who had lived in the region since 2006. German newspaper Bild (Not rated) reported the suspect was not known to German law enforcement as a potential terror threat.

How the Media Covered It: Many right sources featured the suspect's Saudi Arabian identity in headlines or as the centerpiece of the story. A writer for Townhall (Right bias) criticized other media outlets for saying a "car" or "driver" plowed through the market without immediately stating the driver's country of origin. As of 8 p.m. EST on Friday, Euronews (Center) included the driver's Saudi Arabian origin in its second paragraph; Reuters (Center) in its fourth; USA Today (Lean Left) in its fifth; and Associated Press (Left) in its sixth paragraph. Newsweek (Center) published an explainer article that omitted the detail entirely, though the article discussed a similar 2016 attack perpetrated by an "Islamic extremist," and the outlet's live coverage included the detail prominently.