The Saudi doctor suspected of a deadly car attack on a Christmas market in Germany was a critic of Islam and supporter of the country's far-right, and his views on social media had prompted warnings to German police from Saudi officials.
Taleb A, who was arrested on Friday night after the attack, has lived in Germany since 2006 and worked as a psychiatrist and psychologist at a criminal detention centre in the state of Saxony Reinhalt, where the incident took place, according to German officials.
The attacker drove a car into a crowded Christmas market in the town of Magdeburg, killing five people, including a toddler, and injuring more than 200 people. A dark BMW was seen driving straight into the crowd at speed, witnesses said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser travelled to Magdeburg on Saturday. Ms Faeser said that while she did not want to speculate about the attacker's motive, “the one thing” she could confirm was that he had expressed an “Islamophobic” stance.
A Saudi source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned German authorities about the attacker after he posted extremist views on his personal X account that threatened peace and security.
Analysis of social media accounts, allegedly held by Taleb A, suggest he had been a vocal critic of Islam, who sympathised with Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
In the profile description of his alleged account on the social platform X, he describes himself as a Saudi dissident and accuses Germany of wanting to “Islamise Europe”.
In October, he shared an interview with the AfD’s leader Alice Weidel, in which she describes growing up in a town “overwhelmed by Muslim foreigners”, and said she did “not want to be pushed off the roof later by a Muslim-majority society”.
In a video published hours before the attack, he accused the German state of persecution, and of stealing a USB stick from his mailbox.
The Saudi source said the warnings to Germany had been made multiple times since the suspect left Saudi Arabia in 2006, but did not go into further detail. German security officials also told Der Spiegel of the Saudi warnings.
A risk assessment conducted last year by German state and federal criminal investigators came to the conclusion that the man posed “no specific danger”, Welt reported, citing security sources.
He is believed to have given interviews to western media outlets in the past, describing himself to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as “the most aggressive critic of Islam in history”, and telling the BBC of his efforts to help other Saudi dissidents relocate to Europe.
Sombre mood in Germany
The attack comes as Germany faces a period of political instability with snap elections called for February. Mr Scholz – who lost a confidence vote this week – was dressed in black as he laid flowers outside the main church in Magdeburg. He pledged that Germany would respond “with the full force of the law”, but also called for unity as the country is rocked by a heated debate on immigration.
Mr Scholz said it was important “that we stick together, that we link arms, that it is not hatred that determines our coexistence but the fact that we are a community that seeks a common future”. He said he was grateful for expressions of “solidarity … from many, many countries around the world” and added that “it is good to hear that we as Germans are not alone in the face of this terrible catastrophe”.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said “the anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was suddenly interrupted” by the tragedy.
Eight years ago another Christmas market was attacked, in Berlin. On December 19, 2016, an Islamist extremist ploughed through the crowded market with a lorry, killing 13 and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shoot-out in Italy.
Ms Faeser had said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.
Snap elections
As Germany's political parties gear up for elections, the attack and its implications for the migration debate could dominate the campaigning.
Mr Scholz’s centre-left coalition collapsed in November after he fired finance minister Christophe Lindner in a disagreement about easing Germany’s debt rules. The Chancellor losing the confidence vote this week paved the way for early elections.
But although the recent stalemate was due to a financial matter, growing anti-immigration sentiment is likely to take centre stage in the elections. The far-right AfD party has the most to gain from Germany’s migration debate. The party won a regional election for the first time in September.” When will this madness end?” its leader Ms Weidel said of the attack, in a social media post.
US billionaire and Donald Trump appointee Elon Musk gave his backing to the AfD on Friday. The AfD cannot get into a coalition government because the main parties have refused to work with it. But growing support for the party continues to fragment German politics and influence government policy.
The UK and Germany announced they were teaming up to tackle people-smuggling gangs earlier this month. An Islamist knife attack in the German town of Essen in September added urgency to the German government’s attempts to get tough on migration.
Gulf states condemn attack
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on Saturday and voiced its solidarity with the German people, in a statement by the Foreign Ministry. “The kingdom affirms its position in rejecting violence, and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of Germany, wishing the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement said.
The UAE condemned the attack, which it described as “deplorable”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement posted by state news agency Wam, reaffirmed the UAE’s “permanent rejection of all forms of violence that targets innocent people and undermines security and stability”. It also expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.