A snack shop owner in the Magdeburg area of Germany, where a man ploughed into people at a Christmas market and killed five people, has told of how the suspect visited his takeaway store hours earlier
CCTV: German Christmas market suspect in takeaway on December 19
The suspect accused of being behind a Christmas market attack which killed five people and injured several more was spotted at a takeaway restaurant just hours before the horrific incident.
A nine-year-old boy and four adults were killed when a car ploughed through a crowd of Christmas revellers in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday. Another 200 people were left injured, and authorities say the death toll is likely to rise.
The suspect, named by German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia who moved to Germany in 2006. He was remanded in custody by German police late on Saturday evening. Days after the incident, a snack bar owner in the area named Yaser Al-Alo has explained how the suspected killer had visited his store.
He said: “He came to eat at our place very often. I recognised his face, but I had no personal contact with him. He would always come and eat, wanted to stay alone, and didn’t talk much at all.
“He always drank beer. He didn’t say anything except to place his order. He would always take the drinks himself from the fridge. He was always on his phone. Once, I asked him where he was from. He said he was Arab but didn’t want to say which country.
“The morning after the attack, I was on TikTok and was shocked—I know him. Then I went to the shop and checked the surveillance camera. It was on 19th December, around 8 PM. On that day, he seemed completely normal. Just like always, I didn’t notice anything different. He was also on his phone the whole time. That evening, he ate a scampi flatbread pizza.”
In the wake of the tragedy, the Metropolitan Police is re-issuing their recent advice about staying vigilant against terrorism this Christmas – and is urging Brits to report anything that looks suspicious.
Chief Superintendent Kris Wright, head of Protective Security Operations for the Met said: “At this time of year, we naturally see more people heading out and about to enjoy the festive period. We want people to enjoy themselves, but also to stay safe, so we are asking the public to report anything that doesn’t look or feel right to us.
“The power of public reporting should not be underestimated. It is never a waste of time to speak to us, or submit an online report. Sadly, the threat from terrorism is a real one, so it is vital that we have the support of the public, which helps our own operations and activity to keep everyone safe. Since 2017, we, along with our partners have disrupted over 40 terrorist plots. That is down to many dedicated, specialist officers and staff, but also due to the public helping us in that crucial work.”
It comes after police in Magdeburg, the city in Saxony-Anhalt where the attack took place on Friday evening, confirmed on Sunday that four women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 died in the attack, as well as the nine-year-old boy confirmed a day earlier. Authorities said 200 people were injured, including 41 who are in a serious condition. The injured are being treated in multiple hospitals in Magdeburg, which is about 80 miles west of Berlin, and in other nearby cities.
The attack has prompted an outpouring of grief in Germany just days before Christmas – and this weekend, some in the country have also questioned whether more could have been done to prevent the attack. Despite security measures being put in place around the perimeter of market, a fatal gap in protective bollards has since been identified from footage of the attack, which appeared large enough to provide the two-tonne BMW access before it ploughed through the crowd at full speed.
Intelligence services in Saudi Arabia also claim they had repeatedly warned Germany about Mr al-Abdulmohsen, the man alleged to have carried out the attack. Police in Magdeburg confirmed they had evaluated whether the suspect could pose a threat “a year ago”, while Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser told German newspaper Bild that investigators would now probe “in detail” what information was held about him.
