At least 1 child among fatalities • ‘Magdeburg perpetrator was an Islam critic’

More and more details about the perpetrator

Other German media are also reporting more details about the perpetrator of the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Die Welt reports on the basis of previous media interviews with the Saudi that he is an opponent of Islam. According to the newspaper, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, as the man would be called, had written “Germany wants to Islamize Europe” under his profile on social media.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper in 2019, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen describes himself as an opponent of Islam, Die Welt reports. “I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history,” he told the newspaper. He is also said to be a fan of multi-billionaire Elon Musk.

‘Perpetrator of attack was a fan of radical right-wing party AfD’

The German Der Spiegel says he knows the identity of the possible perpetrator. It is said to be ex-Muslim Taleb A., a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy from Saudi Arabia. According to Spiegel, he was active for years as an activist who mainly advised women from Saudi Arabia about the possibility of fleeing their country. He was said to be very active on X and also managed a website with information about the German asylum system.

Previous messages on social media, which the magazine has seen, also show that A. was a fan of the radical right-wing party AfD. Furthermore, Spiegel reports that he recently said in a video that the German state is conducting a “secret operation” to hunt Saudi ex-Muslims worldwide and destroy their lives. “Meanwhile, Syrian jihadists are receiving asylum,” the magazine quotes A.

Much is still unknown about the perpetrator’s motive

The police say they cannot yet provide any information about the motive of the attack on the cherry market. According to a police spokesperson, not enough is known yet. “We do not yet know the background of the crime, we are taking everything into account,” the spokeswoman told German media.

The police previously announced that they are taking into account that the perpetrator acted alone.

Saudi Arabia condemns attack

Saudi Arabia has condemned the attack on the Christmas market. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote this in a statement.

The suspect who has been arrested is a 50-year-old Saudi. The doctor has lived in Germany since 2006 and has a permanent residence permit.

The Saudi ministry’s statement made no reference to the suspect.

Commemoration in cathedral for victims of Christmas market attack

A memorial service for the victims will be held tomorrow evening in Magdeburg Cathedral. In this way, those affected, family members and other residents of the city have the opportunity to mourn, says the mayor. “’We’re going to need a long time to mourn.”

Minister: ‘We fear for the lives of seriously injured people’

German Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser has expressed her condolences for the victims in Magdeburg. “The shocking event in Magdeburg, a few days before Christmas, affects us deeply,” she told broadcaster ZDF. “We are concerned for the lives of the seriously injured and mourn the lives of those whose lives were taken by this horrific act.”

Faeser added that security services are investigating the background to the event. “I have just had telephone contact with the Minister of the Interior of the state of Saxony-Anhalt about this and have promised all possible support from the federal government.”

The minister will go to Magdeburg tomorrow together with Chancellor Scholz.

NCTV reiterates that the risk of an attack in the Netherlands is real

“While Christmas brings a moment of conviviality and reflection for many, this Christmas market ends in chaos, shock and sadness,” he wrote in a statement.

The coordinator repeats his message that the chance of an attack in the Netherlands is real. This week he re-established the threat level at level 4, on a scale of 5. The Netherlands is monitoring the situation in Germany. “We are awaiting further information from Germany for further clarification,” Aalbersberg said.

Minute of silence after Bayern-Leipzig match

Players from Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig remained on the field after the match tonight to observe a minute’s silence with the crowd.

The annual Christmas ceremony after Bayern’s last home match was canceled. After the final whistle, Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of the German club, updated the audience about the events at the Christmas market in Magdeburg.

‘No indications of danger in cities such as Aachen and Cologne’

The authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state bordering the Netherlands, have no indications of “a concrete danger”. This is what Herbert Reul, the state’s Minister of the Interior, says.

Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia such as Aachen, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Oberhausen also have busy Christmas markets, where many Dutch people go.

According to Reul, the security services are “very vigilant”. If necessary, he says, the safety plans will be adjusted.

Varying reports about death toll

German media and authorities mention varying numbers of victims. For example, Bild talks about eleven deaths, but the state premier maintains a lower number, namely two.

Authorities are often more cautious about this. For example, it may already be clear that there are more deaths, but this is not yet announced because the next of kin have not yet been informed.

According to state Premier Haseloff, one of the two deaths is a child. It is not clear how old the child is.

The state premier does not rule out that the death toll will rise.