Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A black BMW drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, located in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, on the evening of Friday, 20 December. The incident resulted in five fatalities, including a child, and 68 injured. Among the injured, 15 are in critical condition, 40 remain in extremely serious condition, and 90 are hospitalized with moderate injuries. Additionally, 80 people sustained minor injuries.

The tragedy occurred at the Christmas market in Alter Markt ("Old Market Square") in central Magdeburg. Eyewitnesses reported that the car sped through the crowd. The vehicle traveled approximately 400 meters through the market area before the police managed to stop it and detain the suspected perpetrator, according to Bild newspaper. The suspect is believed to have acted alone.

Identity of the Attacker

The perpetrator is a man born in 1974, a doctor from Saudi Arabia, who arrived in Germany in 2006. He resided in Bernburg, 50 kilometers from Magdeburg, and held a long-term residence permit in Germany.

The weekly magazine Der Spiegel noted that the 50-year-old suspect is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Frankfurter Rundschau had reportedly written about him back in March 2019: "Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen has lived in Germany since 2006. He initially came as an invited doctor to qualify as a psychotherapist and later sought asylum here, claiming death threats due to his abandonment of Islam. He holds the status of a political refugee."

According to Der Spiegel, Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen was highly active on social media over the years. Among other things, he provided advice to women from Saudi Arabia on how to flee the country. He also maintained a website dedicated to asylum-related information in Germany.

Some of Al-Abdulmohsen's social media posts reportedly indicated his sympathies toward the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

A source in Saudi Arabia told Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about this individual, alleging that he had posted extremist content on social media.

Reactions to the Incident

The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, described the event as "a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and the entire country."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on the social media platform X: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by them and all the people of Magdeburg. I express my gratitude to the tireless rescue services in these horrific hours."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte contacted Scholz to offer condolences: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families. NATO stands in solidarity with Germany."

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that his country shares the pain of the German people and is deeply shocked by the horror at the Christmas market.

The United States also expressed solidarity with Germany in mourning the lives lost. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declared that the U.S. stands ready to assist German rescue services and authorities.

Not the First Incident of Its Kind in Germany

Nearly eight years ago, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove into a crowd at a Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. That attack left 12 people dead and more than 70 injured. The assailant fled to Italy, where he was later shot dead by police.