The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg has raised questions about public safety and intelligence gaps in Germany. Police have described the suspect as "atypical," while experts have also blamed social media.

Authorities say the suspect does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

At least five people are now known to have been killed in the vehicle-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday.

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.

German news agency dpa is reporting that a car has driven into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.

At least five people are dead and over 200 people have been injured, 40 critically, officials said. Latest updates.

In 2016, 12 were killed and almost 50 were injured after a truck drove into a holiday market in central Berlin. The attack spurred a multi-day manhunt for suspect Anis Amri that captivated the globe, concluding in a deadly police shootout in Milan, Italy.

An "extensive" police operation was underway in a city in eastern Germany after a driver reportedly plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market on Friday, officials said.