Rev. Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the WCC moderator, have strongly condemned a lethal act of violence against people visiting a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.

A driver, said to be a Saudi who hates Islam, rammed a car into shoppers at the busy German Christmas market on Dec. 20, killing at least five people and injuring 200.

One of those killed was a nine-year-old boy

"We unequivocally condemn the heinous and senseless attack on innocent civilians," the WCC leaders said in a statement.

"This act of violence, targeting a place of joy, unity, and peace, is a stark violation of human dignity and stands in opposition to the spirit of Christmas, which calls us to love, compassion, and goodwill."

A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia was arrested on the day of the attack and was remanded in custody, the Independent newspaper reported.

Identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, he has been in Germany since 2006 and according to local media outlets, he reportedly sympathized with the country's far-right Alternative for Germany party.

An extensive police operation was launched following the attack at the market in the German city of Magdeburg that happened at around 7 p.m. local time.

SIMILAR ASSAULT IN 2016

Amid the grief, the attack revived memories in Germany of a similar assault in 2016, when more than a dozen people were mowed down and killed at a Christmas market in Berlin, CNN reported.

WCC's Pillay expressed solidarity with the victims and the German people.

He reaffirmed the ecumenical steadfast commitment to peace and justice, praying for healing for the wounded and strength for the bereaved.

"Together, let us reject hatred and violence in all forms, standing firm as instruments of God's peace in a fractured world," said Pillay.

Bedford-Strohm noted "the attack...spread fear and horror...Many people, including myself, are now holding the victims and their relatives in prayer. We bring our lamentation about such senseless violence before God. We will never resign ourselves to it."

Authorities said the incident in the eastern city of Magdeburg not far from Berlin was a deliberate attack, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

The suspect is a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia who has resided in Germany since 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.

The Belfast Telegraph reported that he worked as a psychiatrist at a correctional facility in Bernburg and had recently rented the BMW car used in the attack.

ORIGINALLY FROM SAUDI ARABIA

 Al Abdulmohsen, 50, was originally from Saudi Arabia, but had lived in Germany since 2006, working as a consultant psychiatric doctor in a local clinic.

He is also an avowed atheist and anti-Islam, once describing himself in a 2019 newspaper interview as "the most aggressive critic of Islam in history," according to CNN.

On social media, Abdulmohsen expressed support for the German anti-immigration AfD party.

He repeated his own frustrations with what he saw as the German government's soft line on immigration, as well as what he believed was Berlin's overly cordial relationship with the Saudi regime.

Recent messages included threats. In August, Abdulmohsen said that if Germany "wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die, or go to prison with pride."

Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, 50, was originally from Saudi Arabia, but had lived in Germany since 2006, working as a consultant psychiatric doctor in a local clinic.

He is also an avowed atheist and anti-Islam, once describing himself in a 2019 newspaper interview as "the most aggressive critic of Islam in history."

On social media, Abdulmohsen expressed support for the German anti-immigration AfD party and repeated his own frustrations with what he saw as the German government's soft line on immigration, as well as what he believed was Berlin's overly cordial relationship with the Saudi regime.

Recent messages included threats. In August, Abdulmohsen said that if Germany "wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die, or go to prison with pride."

INFLUENCE OF DRUGS

Initial tests indicated that he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

In a 2019 interview, Al claimed that he was "the most aggressive critic of Islam in history," adding that he had sought asylum in Germany to escape threats in Saudi Arabia.

Media reports also suggest that he worked to help ex-Muslims, particularly women, flee Saudi Arabia after abandoning their faith.

The Dec. 20 incident is not the first attack on people at a Christmas in Germany, the BBC reported.

In the 2016 attack, Anis Amri, a Tunisian man who failed to gain asylum in Germany and had links to the so-called Islamic State group, drove a truck into crowds at a church market in berlin, killing 12 and injuring 49 others.

Two years later, a gunman opened fire on a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing five and injuring another 11 people. The gunman was shot dead by police two days later.