On 20 December 2024, an attacker used a vehicle to strike the Christmas market in Magdeburg. He killed six people and injured about 300 others, some seriously. A committee of inquiry of the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt examined the attack. In May 2026, ZDF reported on its final report. Die Lücke, die der Attentäter mit dem Fahrzeug nutzte, fiel bei der Kontrolle weder Polizei, Veranstalter noch der Stadt Magdeburg auf. Neither the police, nor the organizer, nor the city noticed the gap the attacker used. According to the report, the protection concept against vehicle attacks had been out of date. A ZDF reporter in Magdeburg said that responsibility had been pushed back and forth between the city, the organizer and the police. In November 2025, the next market was not approved for the time being, although setup had begun at the end of October. The state administration office had found defects in the organizer’s security concept, and the city had been instructed not to approve it. The organizer saw the police and the authorities as responsible. On 12 November, ZDF reported an agreement between the city, the state administration office and the police. Für die Umsetzung der vereinbarten Maßnahmen seien die Veranstalter und die Stadt Magdeburg verantwortlich. The organizers and the city of Magdeburg were to be responsible for carrying out the agreed measures.