Nine-year-old boy killed in German Christmas market attack named as Andre Gleissner
The mother of a nine-year-old boy killed in the German Christmas market attack has paid tribute to “my little teddy bear”.
Andre Gleissner was one of at least five people who died, while more than 200 others were injured when a car ploughed into crowds in Magdeburg on Friday evening.
German Christmas market attack – latest updates
His mother Desiree Gleissner said in a post on Facebook: “Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again… Andre didn’t do anything to anyone… He was only with us on earth for nine years… why you… why. I don’t understand.
“Now you are with grandma and grandpa in heaven. They missed you very much as we miss you here now.
“You will always live on in our hearts… I promise you that.”
Police guard a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, yesterday. Pic: AP
A GoFundMe page set up to support Andre’s family raised nearly €50,000 (£41,500) before it was closed.
Franziska Helbich, a work colleague of his mum, wrote on the page Andre “was so looking forward to Christmas” but “will never be able to unwrap his presents”.
“With his cheerful smile and his zest for life, Andre leaves a big gap in the hearts of his family, friends and all those who knew him,” she said.
Organisers said in a later update that they had reopened the page for donations after receiving a flood of requests from the public, and that Andre’s family was planning to pass on a large part of the donations to the other victims who died or were injured in the attack.
‘We stand by their side’
German police have confirmed four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, were also among those killed in the incident.
A 50-year-old suspect was remanded in custody after appearing before a judge on Saturday evening.
Two local fire brigades paid tribute to Andre, with the Schoppenstedt fire department saying he was a member of the children’s fire brigade in Warle.
“Our thoughts are with Andrés’ relatives, who we also want to support during this difficult time,” it said, sharing a donation appeal.
The Lower Saxony youth fire brigade also paid tribute to Andre, saying: “Our condolences go out to his family, his friends and everyone who was close to him.
“We stand by their side in these difficult times and express our deepest sympathy.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Magdeburg attack: A timeline of what happened
Authorities received tip-offs about suspect
The suspect has been named by German media as Taleb A, with his surname being withheld in line with privacy laws, although the name has not been confirmed by German authorities.
He is a Saudi citizen who worked as a doctor and arrived in Germany in 2006, premier of Saxony-Anhalt state Reiner Haseloff said.
He is being investigated for five counts of suspected murder and 205 counts of suspected attempted murder, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said.
It comes as the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Munch, said in an interview on the German broadcaster ZDF that his office received a tip-off from Saudi Arabia in November 2023.
He said the tip-off led authorities to launch “appropriate investigative measures”, but that the information proved to be very unspecific.
Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees also said it had received a warning about the suspect last summer.
“This was taken seriously, like every other of the numerous tips,” the office said on X on Saturday.
It also noted that it is not an investigative authority and that it referred the information to the responsible authorities.
Meanwhile, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s state interior minister, Christian Pegel, said that the suspect originally lived in the region, where he completed his specialist training.
Mr Pegel also said the suspect came to the attention of authorities due to threatening criminal acts, when, in a dispute over the recognition of examination results, he threatened members of the state medical association with an act that “would attract international attention”.
The comments triggered an investigation and a search of his home, the dpa news agency reported, citing Mr Pegel, however, no evidence was found of real preparations for an attack.
A court found him guilty in 2013 of threatening an attack.
‘Moment of solidarity’
A memorial service was held for the victims in the city’s cathedral on Saturday evening, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, interior minister Nancy Faeser and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in attendance.
The cathedral bells tolling at 7.04pm local time (6.04pm UK time), exactly 24 hours after the attack.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Memorial service held for Magdeburg attack victims
Read more:
Christmas market attack suspect threatened act to ‘attract international attention’
What we know about attack so far
Magdeburg in shock as it tries to make sense of the senseless
In a post on X, Mr Scholz described it as a “moving moment of compassion and solidarity for a deeply affected city”.
“The whole of Germany stands in these dark hours with the people of Magdeburg,” he wrote.
Residents in Magdeburg told Sky’s Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins they are “shocked” and “traumatised” by the attack.
One woman said she “can’t find words to describe how traumatised we are”.
“We need a lot of time to process what happened,” she said.
World
US defence secretary signals dramatic shift in American military policy away from Europe, warning allies about ‘stark strategic realities’
US troops will not be used to secure the peace in Ukraine following any ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s new defence secretary has declared, as he signalled a dramatic shift in American foreign and defence policy away from Europe.
Pete Hegseth also said it is “unrealistic” to think Ukraine can return to its pre-2014 borders and he ruled out NATO membership as way to guarantee Kyiv’s security.
This will be a huge blow for Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The interventions came at the opening of a meeting of allies in Brussels on Wednesday.
Follow live: Ukraine war latest
Defence secretaries Pete Hegseth and John Healey meeting in Brussels.
Pic: Reuters/Johanna Geron/Pool
Mr Hegseth said Washington must focus on the threat posed by China and securing its own borders.
He added: “Stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
“As the United States shifts its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front,” Mr Hegseth said in opening remarks at the gathering of NATO and non-NATO countries that are providing military support to Ukraine.
NATO spending
Mr Trump – a long-time critic of the alliance, which he sees as containing freeloaders that benefit from American military strength without investing in their own security – has said all NATO allies should increase defence spending to 5% of GDP.
This is more than double the current target. The UK is only spending 2.3%.
While still supportive of NATO, Mr Hegseth warned that America’s patience was limited.
“Our transatlantic alliance has endured for decades. And we fully expect it will sustained for generations more. But this won’t just happen,” he said.
He continued: “It will require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on this continent.
“The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe.
“Our relationship will prioritise empowering Europe to own responsibility for its security.”
Ukraine-Russia war
Mr Hegseth also had strong words about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which he said “must end”.
Speaking frankly, he dismissed a fundamental Ukrainian goal to recapture all its territory – including Crimea and swathes of the Donbas that were seized by Russia in 2014 when Mr Putin first invaded his neighbour. This aim had previously been backed by the UK and other allies.
Read more from Sky News:
High-speed train collision in Germany
FBI uncovers secret JFK assassination files
Gaza truce in danger of ending Saturday
“We want… a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” he said.
“Chasing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
The US defence secretary said that a durable peace must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war won’t begin again – but he made clear that the US would not be part of that effort on the ground and it could not be a NATO operation.
It was not immediately clear, however, whether the US military may help to provide protection from a distance.
“These security guarantees should not be provided through NATO membership, but must instead be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” the US defence secretary said.
“If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact.”
Pete Hegseth stands with German defence minister Boris Pistorius.
Pic: Reuters/Johanna Geron/Pool
Article 5 of NATO says an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Read more: What is Article 5?
Mr Hegseth continued: “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.”
His words will be a significant setback for Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy told Sky News last week that any peacekeeping force that did not include a US element would be a “major mistake”, signalling that he did not believe European militaries alone could deter Moscow.
The retreat of the US from its leadership role in Ukraine was clear in the choreography of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting – an alignment of allies gathered together by Washington under Joe Biden and his defence secretary Loyd Austin after Russia launched its full-scale invasion almost exactly three years ago.
Future of European security
The regular meetings have until now always been chaired by the US.
Wednesday’s meeting, however, was led by John Healey, the UK defence secretary.
Mr Hegseth made clear that European allies would need to step up and take on much more of the effort to provide Ukraine with weapons and non-military support.
“Safeguarding European security is an imperative for European members of NATO. As part of this, Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine,” he said.
This means donating more ammunition, expanding Europe’s defence industrial base and rallying the public to be willing to respond to the threat the continent faces.
“Part of this is speaking frankly with your people about how this threat can only be met by spending more on defence and investing strategically,” Mr Hegseth said.
“Increasing your commitment to your own security is a down payment for the future.”
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he agreed with US president Donald Trump on the need for Washington and European allies to share the burden of military aid for Ukraine more equally.
World
Israeli PM says Gaza ceasefire ‘will be terminated’ if hostages are not returned by Hamas on Saturday
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway