Christmas attack in Magdeburg

Christmas attack in Magdeburg
Police confirm: Was warned about the perpetrator in 2023

The circumstances surrounding the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, are still too vague to determine whether it is a terrorist crime or not. This is what Holger Münch, head of the Federal Police Authority in Germany, said in a television interview with ZDF, writes Zeit.

The suspected perpetrator, Saudi Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, has expressed Islamophobic views and has been involved in right-wing extremist circles. However, it is impossible to say whether the attack was politically motivated, says Münch.

“We have a very atypical pattern here, and now we have to analyze it calmly,” he says.

According to information to Reuters on Saturday, Saudi Arabia has previously warned German authorities about al-Abdulmohsen. Münch confirms this and says that it happened already in 2023.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says that the authorities' handling of any prior knowledge of the perpetrator should be investigated, Der Spiegel writes in its direct reporting.

Reactions to Magdeburg attack
Germany: Musk has questions to answer after the attack

Elon Musk should answer why his platform X did not act against Taleb al-Abdulmohsen before the attack in Magdeburg. This is what Miguel Berger, Germany's ambassador to the UK, told the BBC.

- We have seen that (al-Abdulmohsen) was extremely active and threatening on X. The question is: Does X really act against such things? he says.

al-Abdulmohsen frequently posted conspiracy theories and anti-Muslim content on X. He also made death threats against Germans and German authorities.

Musk himself has reacted to the attack by calling on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign, calling him an "incompetent fool".

Grief, anger and racism after the attack on the Christmas market

German authorities are receiving criticism from several quarters after the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, where five people were killed and over 200 injured, according to several media outlets.

AFP reports that politicians from both political extremes are criticizing Olaf Scholz's administration. Among other things, there are demands for emergency meetings and investigations into possible security shortcomings and how much the authorities actually knew about the perpetrator.

- It's the least we can do for the victims, says Bernd Baumann, parliamentary leader of the far-right AfD party.

Magdeburg residents are also angry. The BBC's reporter on site reports that Scholz was heckled by the crowd when he visited the Christmas market on Saturday.

There are also expressions of racism, writes Focus. The suspected perpetrator was from Saudi Arabia and came to Germany 18 years ago.

– Deport everyone, says an anonymous man but is rebuffed by his acquaintance who thinks Germany needs immigrants.

On Saturday, right-wing extremists demonstrated outside a cathedral where a memorial ceremony was being held.