German Christmas market attack: Suspect faces multiple charges
Photo: The perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Magdeburg, Germany, has been charged (Getty Images)
A court has filed several charges against the driver of a car that recently plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. The man faces charges of murder on multiple counts, reports Reuters.
The judge issued an order for pre-trial detention of the suspect, identified by German media as Taleb A. He is charged with murder on five counts, as well as multiple attempts to commit murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
Local authorities stated that the suspect used emergency exits to drive onto the Christmas market grounds, where he accelerated and drove into the crowd, injuring more than 200 people in just three minutes.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that the criminal investigation "will leave no stone unturned."
"The task is to piece together all findings and paint a picture of this perpetrator, who does not fit any existing mold. This perpetrator acted in an unbelievably cruel and brutal manner - like an Islamist terrorist, although he was clearly ideologically hostile to Islam," Faeser said.
According to investigators, the man is from Saudi Arabia, works as a psychiatrist, and has lived in Germany for about 20 years. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
The suspect has harshly criticized the German government and Islam in the past. In recent years, he gave several interviews to discuss his work assisting Saudi citizens who had left Islam to escape to Europe.
On the social media platform X, the suspect expressed support for the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and American billionaire Elon Musk, who supports the party.
AfD has strong support in former East Germany, where Magdeburg is located. Polls place the party in second place nationwide ahead of the early parliamentary elections in February 2025.
According to a Saudi source in German security agencies, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly expressed concern to Germany about the suspect’s social media posts.
Terrorist attack in Magdeburg
On the evening of Friday, December 20, a car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg.
As a result of the attack, five people were killed, and around 40 others were seriously or critically injured. The victims included a nine-year-old boy and four women aged 52, 45, 75, and 67.
A Ukrainian citizen was also injured during the incident.
The attack shocked the country and heightened tensions over immigration issues.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the attack by saying, "Violence must never and nowhere prevail."
