Suspect’s motive still under investigation • 9-year-old child killed in attack

Was safety in order?

How the attack could have happened and whether it could have been prevented by better security measures is still a big question mark. At the press conference of the German police and the German Public Prosecution Service, a journalist’s question about the safety of the event irritated the local authorities.

“We continue to evaluate continuously with all responsible authorities. Think back also to the Love Parade in Duisburg, when there was no good escape route,” said Ronni Krug, Magdeburg’s public security councilor.

He refers to the tragedy in 2010 in which hundreds of visitors were crushed. “At events you have to provide safety in the sense of protection, but also that people can leave in the event of an emergency. What has happened now is something we could not count on and perhaps could not have prevented.”

According to the councilor, mobile police units were stationed in places where there were no concrete blocks.

Police and Public Prosecution Service about attack: ‘9-year-old child among the dead’

At a press conference, the German police and the German Public Prosecution Service provided more information about the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg.

The first emergency call was received by the police at 7:02 p.m. “At first the caller assumed it was an accident,” police said. “The perpetrator drove along the escape route of the Christmas market. The suspect was arrested three minutes after the first emergency call.”

The investigation into the perpetrator’s motive is still in full swing. The only thing the police can say about this is that his “dissatisfaction with German dealings with Saudi refugees could be an option.” The police cannot say anything about his messages on social medium X. The police did determine that the perpetrator acted alone. A second perpetrator has been officially ruled out.

The death toll stands at five. There are also 200 injured, of whom 40 are very seriously injured. The child killed in the Christmas market attack was nine years old.

Sea of ​​flowers for victims

Around the corner from the Christmas market in Magdeburg, a sea of ​​flowers has emerged for the victims of the attack. Authorities in Germany have confirmed that five people, including a small child, have been killed in the attack so far. The death toll may still rise. Among the 200 injured, more than 40 are said to be seriously injured.

Tonight there will be a memorial service for the victims in the Magdeburg Cathedral at 7 p.m. “Our thoughts and prayers are in Magdeburg these hours,” said Kirsten Fehrs, president of the Evangelical Church in Germany. In a joint speech with the chairman of the German bishops’ conference, Georg Bätzing, they shared their condolences with the victims and their relatives. “So many innocent people fell victim to this senseless violence just before Christmas.”

‘Saudi Arabia had warned Germany’

More and more information is emerging about the suspect of the attack. German Interior Minister Faeser calls him an “Islamophobe”. It is unclear whether this has anything to do with the attack. She did not elaborate on the man’s motive. She also did not want to provide details about the suspect’s political preferences.

According to Der Spiegel, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, as the suspect is called, had to turn himself in a day before the attack report to the court due to misuse of the emergency number. The news site also says that Saudi Arabia has warned German security services about the man three times. The Reuters news agency also learned from a Saudi source that the German authorities had been warned.

Magdeburg residents about the attack: ‘Don’t be deterred’

In Magdeburg, flowers are piling up around the corner from the attack. Correspondent Chiem Balduk spoke to residents of the city at the scene of the attack. “It was really terrible, all those ambulances, injured people and tents. I am unhurt, but I don’t feel well,” says a resident of the Christmas market.

Although there is a lot of fear and it is questionable whether the Christmas market can still continue to exist, the Magdeburg citizens do not want to be deterred. “Just like after the attack in Berlin, we also went to the Christmas markets again.”

Correspondent Charlotte Waaijers from Magdeburg:

“You notice that the city woke up this morning in shock and disbelief. Many people cannot imagine that this could have happened. People have now come here to the Christmas market and stand watching from a distance, they try to process the sadness Some were there last night shortly before the attack.

Flowers are laid and candles are lit. The question now is how this could have happened and what the precise circumstances of this act are.

There are concrete blocks around the Christmas market to prevent a vehicle from driving into the Christmas market. What I now understand from the people here is that the car was able to get to the Christmas market via a pedestrian area.”

Christmas markets in the Netherlands

There are also several Christmas markets in the Netherlands. The organizer of the Christmas market in Maastricht, Yvo Gustings, is shocked by the attack in Magdeburg. “It is very sad. Together with the safety triangle, we are looking at whether we need to add something to the measures or whether some things need to be tightened up,” says Gustings.

One of the busiest Christmas markets in Western Europe takes place every year in Valkenburg, Limburg. The city’s mayor, Daan Prevoo, was in contact with the police after the attack in Germany. “We are of course extra alert, but security measures are already high around our Christmas market because we are at threat level 4 in the Netherlands,” says Prevoo.

The Christmas market in Valkenburg will continue with visible and invisible measures. According to the mayor, the event attracts around 700,000 visitors annually.

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.