Remembrances of the nine-year-old who was murdered in the German Christmas market assault

A nine-year-old who was killed in an attack on a German Christmas market has been honored by the local fire department.

The Schöppenstedt fire department reports that André Gleißner was killed on Friday night after a vehicle crashed into a group of people at the Magdeburg market.

He was a member of the children's fire department in Warle, which is around an hour's drive from Magdeburg, according to a statement.

The attack also claimed the lives of four women, ages 45, 52, 67, and 75. A suspect is being held in pre-trial custody by authorities on charges of murder, attempted murder, and grievous bodily injury.

"Our thoughts are with André's relatives, who we also want to support during this difficult time," the fire department said in a statement.

The nine-year-old was also honored by the Lower Saxony juvenile fire department.

"Our condolences go out to his family, his friends, and everyone who was close to him," the statement said.

"We stand by their side in these difficult times and express our deepest sympathy," said the statement.

Over 200 people were hurt in Friday's attack, some of them were left critically ill.

The identities of the four ladies who were also slain remain unknown.

Around 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday, the vehicle crashed into the busy market through an emergency vehicle access lane, according to the police.

Witnesses reported hiding, running, or leaping out of the car's path. The car was seen rushing through a pedestrian walkway between booths in unverified social media footage.

According to the police, the motorist then got back on the road, was stopped in traffic, and was taken into custody.

According to city officials, almost 100 police, ambulances, and firemen responded to the site.

On suspicion of five charges of murder, many attempted murders, and dangerous bodily injury, a 50-year-old man has been placed under remand in detention, according to authorities.

According to local media, the suspect is Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a psychiatrist who came to Germany in 2006 from Saudi Arabia.

Authorities say they think the driver acted alone, but the motivation for the attack is yet unknown.

Security concerns have been raised by news that German officials were alerted last year that the suspect may be dangerous.

According to the Saudi foreign ministry, it alerted the German authorities on al-Abdulmohsen's radical beliefs but got no response.