A man accused of driving a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing four women and a nine-year-old boy, has been remanded in custody. The 50-year-old suspect, identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a Saudi national, appeared before a judge on Saturday evening after the horrific incident on Friday, when a black BMW sped through the busy market, injuring over 200 people.
Magdeburg police have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, and they are urging witnesses to submit photos or videos from the scene. Local media reports indicate that al-Abdulmohsen, a doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006, is the suspect. Authorities confirmed on Sunday morning that the victims included four women aged 45, 52, 67, and 75, who died as a result of the attack.
The judge ordered pre-trial detention for al-Abdulmohsen on charges of five counts of murder, multiple attempted murders, and several counts of causing dangerous bodily harm. Emergency services, including 100 police officers, medics, and 50 rescue personnel, were dispatched to the market shortly after the attack occurred at around 7:00 p.m. local time on Friday.
Witnesses recounted harrowing scenes as they tried to avoid the speeding car. One woman, Nadine, who was with her boyfriend Marco at the market, described the moment the car crashed into them: "He was hit and pulled away from my side," she told Bild newspaper. "It was terrible." Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for MDR, spoke of seeing "blood on the floor" and many doctors rushing to assist the injured.
A memorial service for the victims was held at Magdeburg Cathedral on Saturday evening, attended by families, emergency workers, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling it "a dreadful tragedy," and emphasizing the brutality of the attack in a place meant for joy. He assured the public that "all resources" would be focused on bringing the perpetrator to justice.
Preliminary investigations suggest the suspect acted alone, according to Saxony-Anhalt's premier, Reiner Haseloff. Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens also pointed to a potential motive, speculating that the suspect might have been frustrated with how Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany.
Al-Abdulmohsen, a psychiatrist living in Bernburg, around 40 kilometers south of Magdeburg, reportedly drove into the market through a gate typically reserved for emergency vehicles. He had been in Germany since 2006 and was granted refugee status in 2016. The suspect ran a website aimed at helping former Muslims flee persecution in their home countries.
There are no known connections between al-Abdulmohsen and Islamist extremism. However, his social media activity has shown criticism of Islam. A source close to the Saudi government informed the BBC that they had issued four official warnings to German authorities about al-Abdulmohsen's extreme views, though these warnings appear to have been ignored. Meanwhile, some counter-terrorism experts have suggested that these warnings may be part of a broader disinformation effort to discredit al-Abdulmohsen, who had been helping young Saudi women seek asylum in Germany.