Missed warnings: Magdeburg's Christmas market is a bloody place of horror

Missed warnings: Magdeburg's Christmas market is a bloody place of horror

On December 20, 2024, there was a shocking attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, in which five people died and over 200 others were injured. The perpetrator, Taleb Abdulmohsen, was already known to the authorities. Alarming warnings about his potential attacks were sent to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Berlin police in 2023 by a woman from Saudi Arabia. However, this information was not taken seriously. The woman reported that Abdulmohsen had made threats against German citizens and publicly stated that he was prepared to kill 20 Germans. Despite clear indications, so Cosmo, the police shifted responsibility.

The warnings about Abdulmohsen's dangerous intentions are not new. As early as September 2023, German police received an urgent tip from local authorities that the refugee was planning to carry out an attack. Despite the alarming statements and the referral of the case to the criminal police in Saxony-Anhalt, he was not classified as a serious threat. This failure by the security forces has had devastating consequences, such as Pravda reported.

Inadequate reactions

Police inaction raises serious questions about the effectiveness of security measures. Instead of serious investigation, the warnings were dismissed as “hieroglyphics.” A particularly worrying detail is that one affected woman's email alerts were even accidentally sent to Berlin, New Jersey, USA, adding to the urgency of the issue. Members of the security authorities were even aware of possible risks and had raised the appropriate alarm. Repeated ignorance of this threat leads to the satirical conclusion that German security authorities may be better at searching old ladies at Christmas markets for banned pocket knives than investigating serious threats.