André Gleissner died in the attack on a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg. Photo: Facebook
The mother of a young boy killed in the Christmas market attack in Germany has paid tribute to her 9-year-old son.
André Gleissner was one of five people killed in attack on Friday evening in the central city of Magdeburg [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/537367/death-toll-in-german-christmas-market-car-ramming-rises-to-five-more-than-200-injured ].
The four others who died were women aged 52, 45, 75 and 67, a police statement said.
Among the scores of people wounded, about 40 had serious or critical injuries, Reuters reported.
A social media post attributed to André's mother said he would "always live in our hearts".
Désirée Gleissner paid tribute on Facebook to her "little teddy bear" and said she did not understand why he had died.
"Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. André didn't do anything to anybody, he was only 9 years with us on earth ... I don't understand.
"You will always live in our hearts.... I promise you that."
A sea of flowers stretched out at the scene of the attack in Magdeburg. Photo: AFP
Police said on Sunday the man suspected of ploughing a car through crowds at the market faces multiple charges of murder and attempted murder.
The suspect is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric who has lived in Germany for almost two decades, Reuters reported. The motive for the attack remained unclear.
There were scuffles and some "minor disturbances" at a far-right demonstration attended by around 2100 people on Saturday night in Magdeburg, police said. They added that criminal proceedings would follow, but did not give details.
Protesters, some wearing black balaclavas, held up a large banner with the word "remigration", a term popular with supporters of the far right who seek the mass deportation of immigrants and people deemed not ethnically German.
Other residents gathered to pay their respects to the dead.
A sea of flowers stretched out in front of St John's Church in Magdeburg, close to the scene of the crime, which attracted a steady stream of tearful mourners over the weekend.
"This is my second time here. I was here yesterday. I brought flowers and it moved me so much and I had to know today how many flowers were brought," local resident Ingolf Klinzmann told Reuters.
A sign commemorating the victims bore in large lettering the word "Why?".
- RNZ / Reuters