A man accused of driving his car into a crowd at a German Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200, has been detained on multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Magdeburg police said in a statement on Sunday that the man had an outstanding detention warrant on five counts of murder, several counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.
Police said the dead were a 9-year-old boy and four women aged 52, 45, 75 and 67. About 40 of the injured were seriously or seriously injured.
Authorities reported that the suspect used an emergency exit to access the Christmas market and rushed into the crowd, attacking more than 200 people in three minutes. He was arrested at the scene.
Boiling tension
The attack in the central city of Magdeburg on Friday evening shocked Germany and reignited simmering tensions over migration issues.
The suspect, named Taleb A, is a psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany for nearly 20 years and has experience in anti-Islam investigation.
The motive for the attack is unclear, but Magdeburg prosecutor Horst Noppens said Saturday that the suspect’s dissatisfaction with Germany’s handling of Saudi refugees could be a possible factor.
The suspected attacker had made online death threats targeting German citizens and had a history of altercations with state authorities, leading German media to question whether the government could have done more to prevent the attack.
News magazine Der Spiegel, citing security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned German intelligence agency BND a year ago about Taleb’s tweet threatening that Germany would pay for its treatment of Saudi refugees.
And in August he wrote on social media: “Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up the German embassy or randomly massacring German citizens?… If anyone knows, please let me know.”
Citing security sources, Die Welt daily newspaper reported that German state and federal police conducted a “risk assessment” on Taleb last year and concluded that “there is no particular risk.”
strengthen the far right
Police reported scuffles and “minor disturbances” during a far-right protest attended by about 2,100 people in Magdeburg on Saturday night.
Protesters, some wearing black balaclavas, held large banners reading “immigration,” a term used by far-right supporters who advocate mass deportations of immigrants and racially non-German individuals.
The incident occurred ahead of Germany’s pivotal election on February 23 and sparked sharp criticism from far-right and left-wing parties opposed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government.
Bernd Baumann, head of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, called on Scholz to convene a special session of the Bundestag over the “devastating” security situation, insisting: “This is the minimum we owe the victims.” I did it.
Meanwhile, Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) party, demanded that Interior Minister Nancy Pager explain “why so many tips and warnings were ignored in advance.”
Scholz condemned the “horrible and crazy” attack and called for national unity.
In the past, the suspect has expressed support for the AfD as well as American billionaire Elon Musk, who has supported the AfD, on social media platform The party has a strong support base in the former East Germany, where Magdeburg is located. Members, including chancellor candidate Alice Weidel, planned a rally in Magdeburg on Monday evening.
