The mom of a nine-year-old boy killed within the German Christmas market assault has paid tribute to “my little teddy bear”.
Andre Gleissner was one in every of not less than 5 individuals who died, whereas greater than 200 others have been injured when a automotive ploughed into crowds in Magdeburg on Friday night.
German Christmas market assault – newest updates
His mom Desiree Gleissner stated in a submit on Fb: “Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again… Andre didn’t do anything to anyone… He was only with us on earth for nine years… why you… why. I don’t understand.
“Now you might be with grandma and grandpa in heaven. They missed you very a lot as we miss you right here now.
“You will always live on in our hearts… I promise you that.”
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Police guard a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, yesterday. Pic: AP
A GoFundMe web page set as much as help Andre’s household raised practically 50,000 euros earlier than it was closed.
Franziska Helbich, a piece colleague of his mum, wrote on the web page Andre “was so looking forward to Christmas” however “will never be able to unwrap his presents”.
“With his cheerful smile and his zest for life, Andre leaves a big gap in the hearts of his family, friends and all those who knew him,” she stated.
German police have confirmed 4 girls, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 have been additionally amongst these killed within the incident.
A 50-year-old suspect was remanded in custody after showing earlier than a decide on Saturday night.
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Magdeburg assault: A timeline of what occurred
He has been named by German media as Taleb A, together with his surname being withheld in step with privateness legal guidelines, though the title has not been confirmed by German authorities.
The suspect is a Saudi citizen who labored as a physician and arrived in Germany in 2006, premier of Saxony-Anhalt state Reiner Haseloff stated.
He’s being investigated for 5 counts of suspected homicide and 205 counts of suspected tried homicide, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens stated.
A memorial service was held for the victims within the metropolis’s cathedral on Saturday night, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, inside minister Nancy Faeser and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in attendance.
The cathedral bells tolling at 7.04pm native time (6.04pm UK time), precisely 24 hours after the assault.
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Memorial service held for Magdeburg assault victims
In a submit on X, Mr Scholz described it as a “moving moment of compassion and solidarity for a deeply affected city”.
“The whole of Germany stands in these dark hours with the people of Magdeburg,” he wrote.
Residents in Magdeburg informed Sky’s Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins they’re “shocked” and “traumatised” by the assault.
One lady stated she “can’t find words to describe how traumatised we are”.
“We need a lot of time to process what happened,” she stated.
