The authorities said they were struggling to understand the motives for the attack with a car in the eastern city of Magdeburg, in which a 9-year-old boy was among the five victims.

Police say the driver is under arrest after plowing into the crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five people - including a 9-year-old - and injuring 200 others.

The suspected attacker’s many posts on social media site X reveal him as a critic of Islam who railed against Muslim immigration into Europe.