German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday called for "peaceful coexistence" as the country marked the first anniversary of a deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in eastern Germany. Merz addressed a church ceremony in the city of Magdeburg, where the December 20, 2024, attack killed six and wounded more than 300 others. READ ALSO: Germany arrests five plotting to attack Christmas marketSaudi man Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, 51, is currently on trial for the attack. AdvertisementThe market attack happened during campaigning for legislative elections -- one of several carried out by migrants that fed into a fierce debate about immigration and security in Germany. On December 13, German police said they had arrested five men suspected of planning a similar vehicle attack on a Christmas market in the southern state of Bavaria.

Source: The Local December 21, 2025 16:36 UTC