German authorities dismissed multiple warnings about the suspect in the December 20 deadly Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, including formal alerts from Saudi Arabia and reports of explicit threats.
The suspect, identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, had been the subject of three separate Saudi security warnings and an Interpol arrest request that German officials rejected as politically motivated, Der Spiegel reported.
Al-Abdulmohsen, who worked as a psychiatrist at a German state hospital, drove his vehicle into crowds at the market, killing five people and injuring more than 200, authorities said.
The Saudi national had been granted asylum in Germany in 2016 after claiming persecution in his home country, despite subsequent warnings about his activities, according to police sources familiar with the matter.
German security services received specific alerts in 2023 through the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees about threats allegedly made by the suspect on social media, the sources said.
"The warnings were dismissed as expressions of free speech," one senior security official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the investigation.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Germany whilst noting that it had previously sought the suspect's extradition.
Social media reports also note that several Saudi citizens contacted German authorities beforehand; however, several calls went unanswered.
The incident has raised questions about Germany's handling of security intelligence regarding asylum seekers. Opposition politicians have called for an urgent review of protocols for assessing threats.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced jeers from onlookers during a visit to the attack site on Saturday, as public anger mounted over the authorities' failure to act on the warnings.
German media outlets have been criticised for initially providing limited information about the suspect's background and for missing security alerts.
On Friday evening, a man drove a car into a crowd of visitors at the Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200. Among the dead are four women and a nine-year-old boy. The suspect is identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, who lived in Germany for more than 10 years and worked as a doctor in Bernburg. He is said to have acted alone for reasons that are still under investigation.
Holger Münch, head of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), told news outlet ZDF on Saturday evening that the department had previously received a warning from Saudi Arabia about the man in 2023, but “the case was ambiguous.” Bernd Baumann, the parliamentary head of the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), demanded an urgent special parliamentary session be called to discuss internal security issues
Amid tensions over the attack, more than 2,100 far-right protesters took to the streets of Magdeburg on Saturday night, some of whom voiced calls for the mass deportation of immigrants. Occasional minor disturbances involving physical contact occurred during protests, according to the police report.
Additionally, the AfD is going to hold a funeral procession and public memorial service on Monday for the victims.
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