Saudi Arabia, it has been revealed, had repeatedly warned the German government about the extremist views of the man who drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing at least five people and injuring hundreds more.
The suspect, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 from the Middle East, is accused of ploughing a vehicle into crowds of festive shoppers on Friday, December 20. More than 200 people were taken to 15 hospitals, with 41 said to be seriously injured, leaving many in intensive care. It is feared that the death toll could continue to rise over the coming days.
The incident will no doubt put further pressure on the German government after months of political turmoil, including a lost confidence vote on Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, which has forced him to call an early federal election in February.
Scholz has been highly unpopular already, with most Germans deeply dissatisfied with his government’s handling of the economy, a crumbling infrastructure, flip-flopping policies on migration, controversial new laws on gender identity, and now internal security issues. Following the horrific scenes from Magdeburg, the question is now whether he will last until the election.
Magdeburg killer known to German police
Abdulmohsen, the man accused of killing the Christmas market shoppers, and who had described himself as an ex-Muslim, was said to be a vocal supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and shared dozens of posts online criticising Islam. However, his previous links to extremist Islamic movements suggest this may have been used as a cover.
On Saturday, December 21, protests broke out in the city of Magdeburg organised by groups calling for the remigration of immigrants.
