After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg in December, in which six people were killed, it was initially reported that 300 people were injured. However, now the number of those affected is being referred to as 600, and it could still increase. At least, this is the assumption of Federal Commissioner for the Victims of Violence Roland Weber.
According to Weber, 600 people have now been contacted, including not only the injured but also relatives and witnesses who are increasingly being burdened by the incident. Many first responders, such as firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, have also been traumatized by the event. “It’s not going to pass them by without a trace” Weber said. At a press conference, he spoke of a further 200 people who could still come forward in the next few weeks. “We are only at the beginning of a very long road. Our goal is to help everyone as comprehensively as they need it for as long as they need it” the Federal Commissioner said.
“The attack is unprecedented in its dimension in the recent past of our country” Weber said. The federal government had announced that it would compensate the victims of the Magdeburg attack to the same extent as victims of terrorist attacks. A specific amount has not yet been given, but a figure of “over millions” is being mentioned.
Saxony-Anhalt’s Justice Minister Franziska Weidinger spoke of a “mammoth task” in the face of the help for the affected, and at the same time announced an increase in the victim relief fund of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
In the attack, the perpetrator, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, steered a car through a rescue lane onto the Magdeburg Christmas market in the evening of December 20 and drove at high speed through the crowd of people. He was arrested by the police immediately after the rampage. The motive is currently still the subject of the investigation.