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.
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.
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.
