Horrific attack on Magdeburg Christmas market: five dead, many injured!

Horrific attack on Magdeburg Christmas market: five dead, many injured!

A fatal incident rocked the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday evening. A 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia raced through the stalls in a rental car without braking, running over several passers-by. In this horrific "death ride" that stretched over 400 meters, at least five people, including a toddler, lost their lives and more than 200 people were injured, about 40 of them seriously.
The authorities are treating this incident as an attack, while the public prosecutor and police are still investigating the background. The alleged perpetrator, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, who worked as a psychiatric specialist, was arrested, but he was not previously known as a violent criminal nw.de reported.

Failed frustration valve or conscious attack?

According to initial investigation results, the attack could be based on “dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi Arabian refugees in Germany,” according to senior public prosecutor Walter Nopens. However, this information has not yet explained the seriousness of the crime, which as a result claimed several lives in just three minutes. Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was active as a critic of Islam in the past, but he nevertheless became involved in a criminal case for “disturbing the public peace by threatening to commit crimes,” which led to a conviction in 2013. Reports of warnings from Saudi authorities to Germany about the man have also emerged, but these remained without concrete action exxpress.at stated.

A few hours after the incident, Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff was visibly shaken by this "inhumane act" and described the dimension of the tragedy as unique in Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other politicians expressed their dismay and called for comprehensive investigations to clarify the background to this devastating incident. The public's attention is now focused on the investigating authorities, who must clarify whether Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was a lone perpetrator or whether other people were involved in planning the crime.