"Hans-Jakob Schindler, extremism and terrorism expert from the Counter Extremism Project, told ZDF that he was surprised by the scale of the alleged attack in Magdeburg. There must have been a gap in the Christmas market's physical security concept. The entire area should have been cordoned off so that "nothing could get through," he said. "That should no longer be possible at all."  Since the attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz on December 19, 2016, many Christmas markets, especially in larger cities, have been secured with massive bollards or concrete blocks. At the time, an Islamist drove a truck loaded with around 25 tons of structural steel into a crowd. 13 people were killed. The perpetrator was initially able to escape and was later shot dead during a routine police check in northern Italy. The terrorist militia "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the attack”"