Several German media outlets identified the alleged attacker before prosecutors confirmed his name. WELT, a POLITICO sister publication from the Axel Springer group, said the Saudi Arabian was granted refugee status in 2016.
‘Using dirty tricks’
German media also reported that the alleged attacker was an AfD supporter. In a 2019 interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frankurter Rundschau, Abdulmohsen described his online anti-Islam advocacy work and an initiative to help Saudis seek asylum. “I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history. “If you don’t believe me, ask the Arabs,” he said.
Abdulmohsen claimed on his I did it.
The AfD, along with other far-right parties in Europe, immediately responded to reports that the perpetrator was an immigrant. AfD chairwoman Alice Weidel pointedly asked, “When will this madness end?” At the same time, condolences were expressed to the victims of the attack.
At least five people, including children, were killed, according to Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Rainer Haselof of the CDU. About 200 people were injured in the attack, prosecutors said.
The German general election, triggered by the collapse of the three-party coalition led by Scholz, is scheduled for February 23.
