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A mother is mourning the loss of her 9-year-old son, who was killed in the Christmas market attack in Germany, along with four other attendees over the weekend.
Desiree Gleibner, shared a heartfelt Facebook post in remembrance of her son, Andre, who was plowed down by a car driven by Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, a Saudi Arabian doctor who faces five murder charges.
Gleibner’s post read:
Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again… André didn’t do anything to anyone… he was only with us on earth for 9 years… why you… why 😭 I don’t understand… now you are with grandma and grandpa in heaven ❤️ they missed you very much… as much as we miss you here now 😪 you will always live on in our hearts… I promise you that
A GoFundMe fundraiser was started by Franzi, a co-worker of Desiree, to help support the financial cost of Andre’s death, including the medical bills and burial services.
“This fundraiser has been launched to support André’s family during this difficult time,” Franzi said. “The funds raised will help ease the financial burden caused by this tragedy and allow the family to grieve at their own pace.”
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
The fundraiser has raised over $123,631.43 as of December 23. Proceeds will go to Andre’s family and the GoFundMe fees.
“9-year-old André was looking forward to Christmas so much,” Franzi wrote. “He wanted to spend the last Advent weekend with his family at the Magdeburg Christmas market. But that day ended in unbelievable tragedy: André was the victim of the terrible attack on the Christmas market and will never be able to unwrap his presents. With his cheerful smile and joy of life, André leaves a big gap in the hearts of his family, friends and all those who knew him.”
Authorities continue to investigate the Magdeburg car attack that ended at gunpoint and left over 200 individuals injured.
A similar tragedy occurred in Nantes, France after a man rammed his van into a Christmas market, and in 2016 in Berlin, where 13 shoppers were killed.
