Forensic investigators work on the car that an attacker used to plough into a crowd at the Magdeburg Christmas market. Six people died in the attack.
MAGDEBURG 20.12.2024
Hendrik Schmidt
dpa photographer,
Leipzig
Friday. 7:43 p.m. Four days before Christmas Eve. Dinner was on the table. My phone rang. “Hendrik, can you drive to Magdeburg? A car has driven into a crowd; that’s all we know at the moment.” As I packed my equipment, the information about an attack became more concrete. The 90-minute drive felt like a bad dream. Police cars raced past me at breakneck speed, and the news on the radio was focused on just one topic.
When I arrived in the city, there was a strange atmosphere. Heavily-armed police surrounded the scene, not letting anyone close. Press statements followed from the state premier who I had never seen so emotional. A mayor was overcome with tears. We are familiar with images of such attacks. Until now, they had seemed far away. Now it was here. After taking the first photos that were possible in the chaos, all that remained was the view of an empty, cordoned-off Christmas market. Where was the vehicle? Many of my colleagues, including myself, started searching.
At some point, I spotted the car in the darkness, far away, at an intersection. Through my powerful telephoto lens, I could see forensic investigators working on the vehicle. I photographed and filmed the scene. Professionally, as we are accustomed to doing in our job – you function – on the outside. Inside, I was in shock.
Later, we learned that five women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, as well as a nine-year-old boy, had died. Nearly 300 people were injured.