The Dutch authorities see a real risk of attacks, according to National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, after a deadly attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday.
Dutch authorities maintain the second highest terror alert level, four out of five, in effect since December 2023. “This means that the possibility of an attack is real,” he said.
His office is awaiting further information from Germany for a more accurate assessment of the “horrific event” in Magdeburg, Aalbersberg said, according to Dutch news agency ANP.
According to security sources, four people were killed and 41 seriously injured in the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday evening when a man drove a car into the market on Friday evening.
Previously, Prime Minister Dick Schoof was one of the many leaders who expressed his condolences to the German government. “The Netherlands stands behind our German neighbors in these dark moments,” he said in a post on X.
His thoughts were with the victims and their families. Dutch authorities will closely monitor developments, he said.
Police emergency vehicles are stationed in front of the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Almost eight years to the day after the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market near the Memorial Church, a man drives into a crowd of people in Magdeburg. Matthias Bein/dpa
