As the German city of Magdeburg mourns the loss of people killed in an attack on a Christmas market, anger is growing over security concerns and previous warnings given to authorities about the suspect.
A least five people – including a nine-year-old boy – have died so far, with a further 200 injured, 41 of whom are in critical condition.
Minutes after a car was rammed into the bustling market, a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia named by German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was arrested. On Saturday evening, he was remanded into custody after appearing in court, police said.
Questions over social media
Local media reported he had shown support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), with a Saudi source telling Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the suspect, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
German ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme on Sunday: “The question is, ‘Does X really act against these things?’”
X has yet to respond to the questions and has been contacted by The Independent.
Previous warnings
Soon after his arrest, reports began to emerge that the German authorities had been warned of the accused but did not consider him a concern.
A German security source told the news agency that tips sent by the Saudi authorities in 2023 and 2024 had been passed on to the relevant authorities.
Newspaper Die Welt cited security sources as saying that a risk assessment conducted by state and federal investigators concluded the man posed “no specific danger”.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”
As German chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived at the scene on Saturday, he was met with some angry members of the crowd and heckled.
Mr Scholz went on to pledge government support for those who needed it as he condemned the attack as “barbaric”.
Both sides of the political spectrum have commented on the missed opportunity to stop the alleged attacker.
The leader of Germany’s far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance party, Sahra Wagenknecht, asked “why so many tips and warnings were ignored beforehand,” and called for Ms Faeser to explain.
On the other end of the spectrum, AfD’s parliamentary head demanded a parliamentary session be held to discuss security issues.
Far-right protesters also took to the streets of Magdeburg on Saturday evening, holding a sign which read “remigration” and calling for the mass deportation of immigrants.
Concerns over security at the market
Questions about whether security measures in place were sufficient are also growing.
Security at Christmas markets in Germany has stepped up in recent years following a deadly attack in Berlin in 2016, but the attacker was able to gain access on Friday via emergency exit points.
City official Ronni Krug insisted the security concept for the Magdeburg Christmas market was “constantly being revised and modified”.
“A safety and security concept must, on the one hand, protect those visiting an event as much as possible, but also needs to ensure, at the same time, if something does happen, they are able to leave the site safely and rapidly,” he said.
“Perhaps it is something that could not have been prevented.”
He added: “How this case could come about must first be investigated by the police. I will not indulge in speculation. But you can rest assured that we will continue to update the security concept, which we are constantly updating anyway, once we have reached an assessment with our colleagues from the police.”