The horror incident unfolded on Friday evening at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, after a Saudi activist rammed his Black BMW into a crowd gathered to celebrate the festive period
Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen discusses his website in 2019
The suspect in last night’s Christmas market massacre had appeared as an “activist” in a BBC documentary, it has been reported.
Shortly after 7pm Friday, the man named as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen drove his black BMW into a crowd gathered to celebrate the festive period at Magdenburg Christmas market. At least five people were killed, with more than 200 now injured – 40 of those in grave condition in hospital.
Also named in German media as Taleb A, the Saudi exile, who is said to be a specialist in psychotherapy, described himself online as a former Muslim and used his Twitter page to accuse Germany of failing to address what he called the “Islamism of Europe”.
In one video that has been shared online by German media, the suspect – now aged 50 – is seen speaking to the BBC in 2019 about helping others to get safe asylum outside of Saudi Arabia.
He calls himself an “ex-Muslim” living in exile in Germany after his life was “threatened” in his native Saudi Arabia, adding that he spent between 10 to 16 hours per day helping asylum seekers through various social media channels.
Saudi Arabia claims that it warned Germany about Taleb before he carried out the horrific massacre, according to Reuters news agency, which cited an insider who claims to have raised concerns about his extremist views on social media.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said nearly 40 of those in hospital were “so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them”. Sir Keir Starmer said he was “horrified” by the “atrocious attack” after a car ploughed into the market in Magdeburg and offered his support to the people of Germany.
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy both condemned the attack. “I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg,” Sir Keir said. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected. We stand with the people of Germany.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled by the news from Magdeburg” and offered support to his German counterpart. The Government is in contact with German authorities, the Foreign Office said, and is closely monitoring the situation.
The car was driven through the busy Christmas market at around 7pm. Magdeburg is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt to the west of Berlin and has about 240,000 residents. The suspected attack comes eight years after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.
On December 19 2016, an Islamic extremist drove through a crowded market with a truck, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.