The death toll from a terror attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has risen to five on Saturday.
In the early evening, a man identified as Taleb Al, a Saudi-born psychiatrist, drove his rented black BMW into a crowd, injuring over 200 people, with 40 of the wounded in severely critical condition.
Videos circulating on social media depict the vehicle speeding into the bustling market, although officials have yet to verify the authenticity of these clips. Eyewitnesses told The Guardian that the BMW plowed through shoppers for approximately 400 meters toward the town hall.
Among the deceased is a toddler, according to The U.K. Times, which also noted that makeshift tents were set up to manage the influx of injured individuals.
Al, the suspect in the incident, is a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany since 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.
The Belfast Telegraph reported that he worked as a psychiatrist at a correctional facility in Bernburg and had recently rented the BMW used in the attack. Initial tests suggested he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.
In a 2019 interview, Al claimed to be “the most aggressive critic of Islam in history,” stating that he sought asylum in Germany to escape threats in Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that he also worked to assist ex-Muslims, particularly women, in fleeing Saudi Arabia after abandoning their faith.
The Daily Mail highlighted Al's social media activity, which included retweets of graphic videos, such as one showing a young Muslim woman purportedly being stoned to death “because she had an affair with a young man outside of marriage.” Another retweet featured a post that simply read: “Can you find one positive thing about Islam?”
In videos uploaded just hours before the attack, Al claimed that German authorities were opening his mail and stealing items, including a USB stick. In one video, he stated, “I consider the Germans, as citizens, responsible for the persecution I am facing,” and in another, he asserted, “Currently in this country, the nation that is actively criminally chasing Islam critics is the German nation.”
The attack has sent shockwaves through Germany, leading several towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and in solidarity with Magdeburg’s loss. Local authorities concluded that Al had committed the act alone.
