Suspicion of terrorism on Christmas market: planned attacks in Austria!

Suspicion of terrorism on Christmas market: planned attacks in Austria!

A suspected attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg caused horror on Friday evening. A 50-year-old doctor raced into a crowd with his car and killed five people, including a nine-year-old child. In addition, over 200 people were seriously injured, with most of them being released from the hospital towards the end of the week, as the treating doctor reported. The driver, a Saudi Arabian living in Germany, was arrested on site and is now in custody. The public prosecutor investigated murder and several attempted murders for five times. The role of the police and the organizer of the Christmas market is also examined here, since there are indications of gaps in the security concept, such as the NZZ reported.

Investigations and possible motifs

The alleged perpetrator had previously expressed his Islam -critical views on social media and in forums regarded as a right -wing extremist. Despite his political activities, the investigators have so far not been able to clearly understand his motif, since a will in the vehicle did not contain any clear indications of its motives. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the crime scene and spoke of a "terrible, insane act" that demands after deep education. In the political discussions, sharper laws on internal security and strengthening the police forces are now being challenged.

In another matter, a 21-year-old Afghan was recently arrested, which is related to possible IS attacks on Christmas markets in Austria. The man last lived in Salzburg and was actively in IS online forums, where he even spread propaganda on social networks. It became known that an attack with knives or explosives was planned, with potential destinations such as police officers and Christmas markets. The Salzburger Nachrichten reported that the suspect had not yet received any precise details from the terror network, but was ready, and thus also came into the focus of the investigators.