injuring more than a dozen. and the us avoids a christmas government shut down after lawmakers vote in favour of a budget deal for three months. hello, i'm nicky schiller. we start this hour with the latest on that attack on a packed christmas market in germany. germany's chancellor, olaf scholz, has said germans must stand united after friday's attack on a packed christmas market in magdeburg. german chancellor olaf scholz has visited the christmas market in the east german city of magdeburg where last night a car drove into a crowd, killing at least five people died and injuring more than 200. but a0 people are, in mr scholz�*s words, "so badly injured we have to be very concerned about them". mr scholz laid flowers at the scene of the attack.

let's just take a look at last night's events. the incident happened in the city of magdeburg, around 150km west of berlin, at around 7pm friday night, local time. the attacker ploughed his car into the busy market at high speed, and is said to have travelled for around 400 metres. this is the moment he was arrested. you can see german police approaching the man, who's lying on the ground, and then apparently pulling back for fear that he might have had an explosive vest. the attacker was later identified as a 50—year—old saudi national who has lived in germany for 18 years. the authorities say he worked as a doctor, had no criminal record and no known links to extremism. and in a further update this morning, german media reports that no explosives were found

in the car. you can see there was a big emergency response the moment he was arrested. visiting the scene, the german chancellor 0laf scholz pledged that germany would respond "with the full force of the law" translation: now, normally a christmas market is a very peaceful and joyful place. people come together just before christmas, in advent, in the run up to christmas, to enjoy christmas and to think about christmas, to drink gluhwein and to eat grilled sausages. what a dreadful tragedy it is that so many people were injured and killed with such brutality in a place like that. we've now heard that more than 200 people have been injured. there are five fatalities so far, and so many people are critically injured that we are severely

concerned about what will happen to them. it's a dreadful catastrophe. we'd all like to express our empathy and sympathy to those who are injured, and to the families of those who are injured, and to the families of those who have been killed. and i'd like to express the solidarity of the entire country. we're all profoundly touched and shocked by this, and we need to stand together and pull together and will indeed do so. it's very impressive that so many people stepped in to help immediately, including all the people who were working at the christmas market and visiting the christmas market. it's impressive to see. the police and the fire brigade responded so rapidly, and many people came to help to really provide tangible assistance straight away. it was very moving for me to talk to the people who were working here

as first responders. after you've had that kind of event, it affects everybody. everybody has to respond rapidly, and the professional response has meant that the situation is not even worse than it already is. at the same time, though, we know that this is something that helpers will also be affected by. the emergency services will have to struggle with the memory of this as well, right across germany, providing support to the emergency services in this kind of situation so that nobody is left alone with their memories. and that's even more the case for those who are injured, for the families, for the families of the victims as well. we're providing support in hospitals and moving forward as well, to get to grips with this catastrophe and its ramifications, these innocent victims of this dreadful, crazy deed.

it's important now that we investigate in detail with great precision what has happened. we need to look into all of the background to this deed. we're providing all of the resources required to do that. of course, we need to investigate the perpetrator in depth and his deed. and of course, subsequently draw the requisite consequences and respond. what's important to me is that when you have this kind of atrocity happening, this kind of dreadful incident with so many people killed and injured, it's almost actually to the day, the anniversary of the attack at breitscheidplatz in berlin. and it's important to me that we stand united.

that we talk to each other, we enter into dialogue, that we do not disseminate hatred. we remain a community that has a shared future. we should not allow those who wish to sow hate to do so. but of course, the perpetrators cannot get off scot free. they must be punished for what has happened in all cases. that is also part and parcel of our shared future. i have heard and experienced a great deal of solidarity from all over the world. many people have sent personal messages and written personal messages. it's very positive to hear that. to hear that we in germany are not alone with these challenges in dealing with this catastrophe. so thank you to all of you. once again, thank you to everybody who's helped. thank you to the first responders, the emergency services. and of course, we'd

like to express our solidarity to all of those who have been injured. the citizens of magdeburg, those who have been killed, theirfamilies. everybody, of course, will be dealing with this profound grief over the days to come. with me is bbc world service's europe regional editor, danny aeberhard. the chancellor saying that germans must stand united, but there are already a lot of questions about this attack. yeah, i think i was the most important thing apart from sympathy for the victims, that message for people not to disseminate hatred. there have been so many things said since that attack, some of them initially pointing the finger at isla,, a former muslim who

has attacked islam. attacked asylum seekers in germany to destroy their agenda. this is a very unusual attack as far as we know. the other message from the chancellor was his message about investigating in greater precision the background to the attack. and i think this is very, very important at this stage to establish what a potential motive may have been. at the moment, there are so many strands that don't seem to add up and it is very important for the german authorities and for the german authorities and for the german authorities and for the wider political debate in germany, how to do that. one other message we didn't hear there, but the state premier of saxony—anhalt, the region concerned, said that we need to talk about security. providing germans with the knowledge that they are safe in their own country. but he said that it is

a debate for later. today is the day for mourning. what we know about — the day for mourning. what we know about the _ the day for mourning. what we know about the suspect - the day for mourning. what we know about the suspect so - the day for mourning. what we | know about the suspect so far? we know he is from saudi arabia, 50 years old, came to germany in 2006, got asylum in 2016. he is a doctor, he has been practising in a town to the south of magdeburg, not too far away. the south of magdeburg, not too faraway. he the south of magdeburg, not too far away. he is a doctor who specialises apparently in psychiatry and psychotherapy. he works on mental health. we don't know if he himself is susceptible in any way to mental illness. so there are lots of things we don't know, and we know that he has been a point of contact for asylum seekers from saudi arabia, women, for example coming to apply for asylum based on their treatment in their native land. and he is a prominent figure in

the saudi arabian community in germany. he is very much not the sort of person you would imagine may carry out such a horrific attack, someone who has been embedded in germany in terms of as a citizen. who has got a professionaljob, and this is one of the things that really has so many experts asking so many questions. find asking so many questions. and this attack _ asking so many questions. and this attack is _ asking so many questions. and this attack is going _ asking so many questions. and this attack is going to have an impact across the whole of germany, because these christmas markets are part of the tradition, and they? it will have a massive impact. this isn't the first time obviously that a christmas market has been attacked in germany, the one that everyone remembers is 2016 in berlin. 13 people were killed there by an islamist attack, a tunisian who was then subsequently tracked down to italy and killed. that was a time that when after that there was a huge look at

security for big public events such as christmas markets. what seems to have happened if it seems to have happened if it seems to have been failings in this particular incident and that the car managed to drive through concrete blocks that were one of the things that was instituted after the building. these blocks were put around public gatherings such as christmas markets precisely to stop the type of vehicle attack we saw in berlin, we saw on nights in france and to reassure germans that it is actually safe to do one of the things going to the market, eating grilled sausages, having a great time in the lead up to christmas. a great time in the lead up to christma— christmas. interestingly, the state premier _ christmas. interestingly, the state premier did _ christmas. interestingly, the state premier did say - christmas. interestingly, the state premier did say there l christmas. interestingly, the l state premier did say there are political concerns of course, and we are heading to an election in germany. and the issue of immigration is one that over the last ten years has grown in germany will stop the immigration issue is always

been a difficult one. especially since 2015 and 2016 when large numbers of immigrants came to germany. and the suspected attacker in this case did not come from syria or afghanistan, they did not come from that way of war refugees. they came from saudi arabia and nine years before then. it isn't very important not to conflate this necessarily, certainly at this stage with the wider immigration debate. we did not know specifically why he made that attack and i think the message from a lot of german politicians is don't jump german politicians is don't jump to conclusions. let's find out what happened and they will no doubt reveal that in due course. it makes the whole issue more toxic perhaps in the lead up to the february election where immigration will

absolutely certainly be one of the major issues at play. danny, thank you very much for your time. let's speak to dr matthias quent, professor of sociology at magdeburg—stendal university in germany. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. you live nearby, i wonder what your reaction is both to last night but also what the chancellor has said today. last chancellor has said today. last ni . ht chancellor has said today. last night was _ chancellor has said today. last night wasiust _ chancellor has said today. test night was just horrible and people are still in a great fear. there is uncertainty about what is going on, now what will happen in the city, because there was notjust a terror attack last night and we don't know how many people not survive this attack and who knows other students are the victims. there is a heated atmosphere in germany, east germany especially, because of

the strong far right and what we see now is neo—nazi groups all over germany mobilising to come to magdeburg and to use this case for their political aims. and in this regard it is very important what the chancellor said, very important what the chancellorsaid, he very important what the chancellor said, he calls for unity and said we have to strengthen the cohesion in the situation because it is a hateful attack whatever the background was. it is likely to lead to even more hate and the city is very heated at the moment. city is very heated at the moment-— city is very heated at the moment. ., . ., moment. the chancellor said that germans _ moment. the chancellor said that germans must _ moment. the chancellor said that germans must stand - moment. the chancellor said - that germans must stand united. do you think that is going to happen? i do you think that is going to ha--en? ~ . do you think that is going to ha en? ~ . , do you think that is going to ha en? ~' ., , ., happen? i think that there is a ma'ori happen? i think that there is a majority of _ happen? i think that there is a majority of germans _ happen? i think that there is a majority of germans that - happen? i think that there is a majority of germans that will i majority of germans that will stand together, because there are political forces that try to drive profits out of this situation and that is what we have seen since last night.

especially far right politicians and activists use the situation to foster hate, to spread racism and ideologies because of the situation in the background. there was a lot of misinformation, because of course it is a... . we saw a few months ago example how easy it can be to use such a situation to roll out extremist agendas. especially in eastern germany we have to say the far right is very, very strong and they are already doing this job to use the situation to polarise even more. do think that is part — polarise even more. do think that is part of _ polarise even more. do think that is part of the _ polarise even more. do think that is part of the reason - polarise even more. do think| that is part of the reason why the authorities were very quick to come out and say that the was a saudi arabian national? yeah, of course. because there are a lot of rumours on social

media and the authorities do a good job in communication telling us what they know about the background to avoid even more disinformation and rumours could spread through social media. there were a lot of members of government that were in magdeburg or are in magdeburg today, more member of the chancellor's cabinet to visit the city and it is very important now to show that politics and society take this serious and nothing will be hidden because this is what the people are saying especially on social media and to show their solidarity, to stand together in the city of magdeburg in germany in the situation now. we have been talking about the election coming up, what do you think the impact on the debate over the next few months ahead of the election will be?-

of the election will be? what we saw in — of the election will be? what we saw in the _ of the election will be? what we saw in the last _ of the election will be? what we saw in the last months i of the election will be? what. we saw in the last months when a terror attack took place, a really strong turn to the right of political parties on immigration and security. some laws were passed in a really, really fast way and this could happen in the next weeks as well. that if this situation is used, this terror attack is used, this terror attack is used as political ideas in the election campaign, it is not a thought too far that the far right could profit from the situation and right could profit from