A driver plowed a car into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening in an apparent deliberate attack.
UPDATE 0155: The suspected attacker, “Taleb A.”, was granted asylum in Germany in 2016 after fleeing from his native Saudi Arabia for fear of persecution over his atheism, Welt reports. The suspect has been identified as having established a website to help other atheist asylum seekers flee to Germany. In an interview in 2019, he reportedly claimed to be the “most aggressive critic of Islam in history”.
Der Spiegel reports that Taleb A. had expressed sympathies towards the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, as well as figures such as Elon Musk, Alex Jones, and Tommy Robinson. However, the news outlet noted that Taleb A. identified as a “leftist”.
Welt reported that posts apparently made on social media by the suspected attacker criticised Germany for trying to “Islamize Europe” while also accusing Berlin of “hunting Saudi asylum seekers inside and outside Germany to destroy their lives.”
There are growing suggestions that the attacker may have suffered from some form of mental illness, with posts accusing the German state of the “killing of Socrates”, as well as personally persecuting him, including stealing a “USB stick from my mailbox”.
However, despite reportedly not being on police radar as a potential extremist, several posts attributed to the suspect seemingly showed violent intent, including: “I assure you that 100 percent revenge will come soon. Even if it costs me my life,” and “Germany will pay the price. A huge price.”
UPDATE 2350: According to Saxony-Anhalt state Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff the suspect has been interrogated by police. The man, who is reportedly from Saudi Arabia, is a 50 year old doctor who lived in the nearby town of Bernburg. According to Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang, he had been granted an indefinite residence permit.
UPDATE 2220: At least two people have now died following a car attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt state Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said. Haseloff revealed that one of the slain victims was a toddler and the other an adult. According to the latest estimates around 70 people were injured including 15 seriously, broadcaster MDR reports.
UPDATE 2135: According to Germany’s Welt, the suspected attacker is believed to be a man from Saudi Arabia born in 1974 per security service sources speaking to the country’s paper of record. The man is also believed to have rented the car shortly before the attack.
UPDATE 2115: Reactions from political leaders have begun to pour in following the tragedy in Magdeburg. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “The reports from Magdeburg suggest bad things. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said: “This is very depressing news from Magdeburg . My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all the emergency services who are caring for the injured on site.”
The leader of the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany party Alice Weidel exclaimed: “The pictures from Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and wounded. When will this madness end?”
UPDATE 1950: At least one person has reportedly died according to local news outlet MDR, citing police in Magdeburg. Rescue services said that there were between 60 and 80 people injured in the attack.
The original story continues as follows…
Eyewitnesses claimed that a driver drove directly into a large group of people gathered in a Christmas market in Magdeburg in Central Germany.
According to spokesman for the local state government in Saxony-Anhalt, Matthias Schuppe, the incident was an intentional attack, broadcaster NTV reports.
The driver was arrested after driving around 400 meters through the crowded market. The German newspaper BILD reports that police cordoned off the Christmas market while they conduct a search for explosives.
Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said: “This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas.”
A female witness, who said she and her child barely escaped being hit by the car, lamented that the perpetrator “drove to the fairytale area of the Magdeburg Christmas market of all places”.
The owner of a burger stand, who claimed that the car sped directly past his shop, said the aftermath was “war-like conditions”.
The attack appears to be similar to the 2016 terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin when a man hijacked a truck and used it to plow down people attending the market. In total, 13 people died as a result of the attack and dozens were left injured. The attacker, a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia named Anis Amri, fled to Italy and was shot and killed by police in Milan days later.
This story is developing, more to follow…
Source:Breitbart News Rephrased By: InfoArmed