The Dutch authorities see a real risk of attacks, according to National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, following a deadly attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday.
The Dutch authorities are keeping in place the second-highest terror alert level, four out of five, which has applied since December 2023. “This means that the possibility of an attack is real,” he said.
His agency is awaiting further information from Germany for a more precise assessment of the “heinous event” in Magdeburg, Aalbersberg added, according to the Dutch news agency ANP.
Four people died in the attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg according to security sources and 41 were seriously injured when a man plowed a car into the market on Friday evening.
Earlier, Prime Minister Dick Schoof was among the many leaders to express his condolences to the German government. “The Netherlands stands by our German neighbours in these dark moments,” he said in a post on X.
His thoughts were with the victims and their families. The Dutch authorities will follow developments closely, 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 at the Memorial Church, a man drives into a crowd of people in Magdeburg. Matthias Bein/dpa
