German Christmas market attack death toll rises to six

Berlin: A 52-year-old woman has died in hospital from injuries sustained after a man drove his car into a German Christmas market last month, a spokesperson for the local public prosecutor's office said on Monday, bringing the death toll from the attack to six.

The attack on December 20 in the central city of Magdeburg that also left scores injured shocked the country and stirred up tensions over the charged issue of immigration.

Officials have described the suspect as a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and a sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Authorities said the suspected attacker used emergency exit points to drive onto the grounds of the Christmas market, where he picked up speed and ploughed into the crowds, hitting more than 200 people in a three-minute attack. He was arrested at the scene.