The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi exile whose name has been reported as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, has been remanded into custody over the attack that has shaken Germany
Germany: Footage shows arrest of Magdeburg attack suspect
The Christmas market atrocity on Friday saw 200 people injured and at least five killed including a nine-year-old boy over the course of three awful minutes.
The suspect, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, whose name has been reported as only Taleb A in local media, was hauled in front of a judge late last night accused of driving a rented black BMW through a crowd of Christmas shoppers in Magdeburg, central Germany.
The callous attack – which has left the country and the rest of the world reeling – began at 7.02pm when it’s believed the suspect diverted off a car-friendly road onto Breiter Weg, a street which is reserved for the use of light rail, where he is thought to have hit a number of pedestrians.
While travelling at up to 40mph, he turned onto Alter Markt – which was where the Magdeburg Christmas market was held and where his deadly ramming-attack began, according to traumatised witnesses. City officials are believed to have made a fatal error as the street had no bollards on either end, as authorities wanted to ensure access for emergency services.
At the time, hundreds of people were walking along Alter Markt, perusing the Christmas market stalls and getting in the festive spirit ahead of December 25. The suspect slammed on the accelerator, careening along the street and plowing into those gathered. Five people have been confirmed dead with the death toll expected to rise as a number of victims cling to life in hospital.
This terrifying moment was captured on CCTV, which showed locals being flung every which way as the car smashed into them and threw them to the ground. Several could be seen attempting to escape the rampaging vehicle by diving out of the way.
The floor was reportedly covered in blood and tinsel as doctors tried to warm and treat the victims, witnesses said. Within moments, the emergency services had logged their first calls with cops and paramedics racing to the scene.
Meanwhile, the driver banged a right as he took the vehicle along another row of the market, heading towards the city’s main road Ernst-Reuter-Allee. Taleb had only travelled around 165ft when police managed to pull him over and arrest him at gunpoint. By 7.08pm, paramedics had arrived to treat the injured.
Magdeburg Police this morning said that four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, were among the fatal victims of the horror attack. “The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm,” its statement said.
According to city officials, around 100 police officers, firefighters and medics had been sent to the scene after the vehicle slammed into the revellers gathered to celebrate the festive season at around 7pm on Friday night.
One witness called Nadine told German daily Bild that her boyfriend, Marco, who had been by her side, was torn away and flung several metres as the speeding car crashed into him. “He was hit and pulled away from my side,” the 32-year-old told the paper. “It was terrible.”
Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for German public broadcaster MDR, told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight programme he saw doctors trying to warm the injured laying on the blood-spattered floor.
A boy aged nine was last night confirmed as the youngest of five people killed in the Christmas market horror attack as it was claimed Germany ignored warnings the suspect was a danger. And there are fears the death toll could rise, as it is understood “many people” remain in intensive care.
The psychologist, 50, who is understood to who have moved to Germany in 2006, is believed to be anti-Islam, a Shia Muslim from the city of Al-Hofuf who turned his back on his religion. It was claimed Saudi security officials tried to warn German authorities about him a year ago and that they failed to respond to concerns.
He reportedly posted online about killing Germans en masse months before the attack, claiming “slaughtering German citizens indiscriminately” could be a “path to justice”. And he allegedly supported comments made by far-right activist Tommy Robinson on social media, posted messages about Germany’s right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and accused his adopted homeland of failing to address what he called the “Islamism of Europe”.
He also shared dozens of tweets and retweets a day focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticising the religion and congratulating Muslims who left the faith. In a BBC documentary in 2019, he spoke about helping others to get safe asylum outside of Saudi Arabia and described himself as an “ex-Muslim” living in exile in Germany. He claimed his life was “threatened” in his native Saudi Arabia and he was spending up to 16 hours a day assisting asylum seekers.