death toll rises to four, more than 200 injured • ‘Magdeburg perpetrator was an Islam critic’

German media: four dead, more than 200 injured

The death toll from the Christmas market attack has risen to four write, among others, the newspaper Bild and the public channel ARD based on police sources. The number of injured now stands at more than 200. More than forty of them are said to be in serious condition. In total, more than eighty injured people are in hospitals in the region, according to Bild.

In official communication The police and municipality have so far reported two fatalities and more than sixty injuries.

Security at Christmas markets tightened

After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, other Christmas markets in Germany are taking extra security measures. More police officers are being deployed in nearby Halle and extra attention is being paid to the entrances to the Christmas market site, reports the public channel MDR. More police are also deployed at the Christmas market in Berlin and Leipzig.

In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, bordering the Netherlands, the authorities remain “extremely vigilant”, the responsible minister has said. said last night. According to him, additional safety measures are taken where necessary. The more than 600 Christmas markets in that state remain open.

First impressions from correspondent Chiem Balduk in Magdeburg:

“The police investigation is still in full swing. Officers are preventing us from going to the market ourselves. It is now quiet on the street, almost peaceful, if you did not know what happened here last night.

A man I just spoke to expressed surprise that this could have happened. Many concrete blocks have been placed around the Christmas market in recent years. Apparently there must have been an opening where the perpetrator could drive his car into the market.

At the same time, Magdeburg is a city that is spacious, with wide streets. You also see how difficult it is to completely cordon off such a market square.

Today is a day of mourning. Chancellor Scholz and Minister of the Interior Faeser will soon visit. There are of course many questions, including about the perpetrator, to which hopefully answers will be found.”

Expert surprised that car could make it to the Christmas market

A terrorism expert at broadcaster ZDF is surprised that the perpetrator’s BMW covered a distance of “at least 400 meters” at the Christmas market. “That should no longer be possible at all,” says Hans-Jakob Schindler. “The entire area should be cordoned off “so that nothing can get through.”

According to Schindler, such an attack should be impossible due to the tightened security around Christmas markets in Germany.

The perpetrator drove zigzag into people at the Christmas market. It is not known how the car got onto the site.

German media: more and more details about possible perpetrator

Other German media are also reporting more details about the possible perpetrator of the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Based on previous media interviews with the Saudi, Die Welt reports 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 newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2019 Taleb Al Abdulmohsen describes himself as an opponent of Islam. “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.

The police themselves have not yet released anything about a possible motive of the perpetrator.

‘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 supporter of the radical right-wing party AfD. Furthermore, Der 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,” magazine A quotes.

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.

‘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.