The driver, who rammed his vehicle into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, and caused havoc with a deadly attack has been identified as a 50-year-old Saudi national named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen. The tragic incident that happened on Friday claimed the lives of five people and left more than 200 injured. Authorities revealed that al-Abdulmohsen had lived in Germany since 2006 and worked as a doctor in Bernburg, a town south of Magdeburg.
The investigators are searching for the motive of this attack. Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens told reporters that the suspect might be an individual who was disgruntled with Germany’s policy towards Saudi refugees. He further added that Al-Abdulmohsen had spoken publicly of helping people, women mostly, escape from Saudi Arabia.
The German police confirmed that the suspect acted alone. Reports indicate he had shared controversial views online, renouncing his anti-Islamic faith and voicing support for Germany’s far-right AfD party. Authorities believe his actions may have been driven by personal grievances rather than organized terrorism.
Tamara Zieschang, Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister, revealed that the suspect was a permanent resident in Germany and had been previously registered by Saudi authorities for having radical opinions. Saudi Arabia had made several extradition requests between 2007 and 2008, as it feared his activities abroad. German officials rejected the requests, as they felt that he would be endangered if he were extradited.
The attack has shocked people in Germany, where it has left the residents gathered at a makeshift memorial, near the shuttered market. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the crime and expressed solidarity with all the victims and their family members. The statement reads:
“The Kingdom affirms its position in rejecting violence and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Federal Republic of Germany,”
Ddriver who caused Christmas market attack in Germany was an ex-Muslim
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser termed the suspect an “Islamophobe,” saying the investigation is still in its early stages. Security experts have pointed out that the profile of the attacker is unusual, and there are complex motives behind the tragedy. The person has also termed himself as an ex-Muslim. As per Nancy,
“At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”
The Magdeburg community now mourns the killing of innocent lives as the authorities continue their investigation into one of the most fatal incidents in recent years.
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