Christmas market hit stirs political bickering in Germany

Criticism of govt from all sides intensifies ahead of snap elections in February

BERLIN - Days after an attacker driving a sport utility vehicle killed five people at a Christmas market in eastern Germany, calls for solidarity have given way to political sniping, as questions grew on Dec 23 about the authorities' inability to prevent the deaths.

The police are holding a Saudi refugee, a 50-year-old doctor, whom they say carried out the attack. He had been living in Germany for nearly two decades.

Still, the killings in the eastern city of Magdeburg brought concerns about immigration and security back to the fore, with political leaders on Dec 23 looking to position themselves on those hot-button issues ahead of snap elections scheduled for next February.

Despite calls not to use the attack for political purposes, criticism of the German government - including from Mr Elon Musk - has cropped up from all sides. The fallout looks likely to supercharge what was already shaping up to be a brief, intense campaign following the government's collapse after Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in Parliament last week.

The hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a demonstration in Magdeburg on Dec 23. Hundreds of people attended the event in the city centre, chanting "If you don't love Germany, leave it" and "Deport!"

Before the demonstration, the party's candidate for chancellor, Ms Alice Weidel, made it clear that the event would also be used for political purposes.

"Magdeburg would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration," said Ms Weidel, whose party has been polling in second place in recent months, behind the conservative Christian Democrats. She also called for "a restrictive migration policy and consistent deportations".