Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: The ceasefire has come into effect.
Palestinian media: Israeli occupation forces storm Balata camp in the eastern part of the city of Nablus.
Reuters, citing senior US officials: The United States will deploy 200 troops as part of a joint task force to ensure stability in Gaza.
Netanyahu's office: Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: Intense shelling and heavy gunfire reported north of Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targeted the northern area of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli Broadcasting Authority: During the first 72 hours, aerial surveillance will be suspended in areas from which the Israeli army has withdrawn.
Israeli Broadcasting Authority: The truce includes the suspension of all military operations, including airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground operations.
Israeli Broadcasting Authority: Fighting will cease completely once the Israeli government approves the agreement.
**Translation:** Putin: The Israeli leadership asked us to convey to the Iranians that Israel is not interested in any kind of confrontation and is committed to an alternative settlement.

Magdeburg Christmas market attack suspect extremist, Islamophobic

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Dec 2024 20:04
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

German authorities are investigating 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist Taleb A., who is linked to a deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg that killed five and injured over 200.

Listen
  • x
  • Citizens pay tribute for deaths outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)
    Citizens pay tribute for deaths outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)

German authorities are investigating a 50-year-old Saudi man, Taleb A., a doctor with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric, as the suspect in a car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg that left five people dead and over 200 injured.

The attack, which occurred on Friday evening, targeted crowds celebrating the pre-Christmas season, reigniting debates over security and migration in Germany as the far right gains traction in the election campaign.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the violence, stating, "What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality." He added, "We have now learned that over 200 people have been injured, almost 40 so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them."

Suspect's background and extremist views

Taleb A. has lived in Germany for nearly two decades and worked as a psychiatrist at a specialist rehabilitation clinic in Bernburg. He had been on sick and holiday leave since October.

A Saudi source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned German authorities about the suspect after he posted extremist views on his X account that threatened peace and security.

Related News

German police rule out islamist motive in Magdeburg market attack

68 people injured in Magdeburg car attack: City Administration

A German security source said Saudi authorities had sent several tips in 2023 and 2024 and that these had been passed on to the relevant security authorities.

A risk assessment conducted last year by the German state and federal criminal investigators concluded that the man posed "no specific danger," the Welt newspaper reported, citing security sources.

On his verified X account, Taleb A. expressed anti-Islamic and far-right views, including support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and criticism of Germany's treatment of Saudi refugees.

In 2019, he gave media interviews, including with the BBC and FAZ, where he criticized Islam.

Investigation and witness accounts

The motive for the car-ramming attack remains unclear, and German authorities have not officially named the suspect.

Police arrested Taleb at the scene and conducted an overnight search of his home. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser acknowledged the suspect's Islamophobia but refrained from commenting on the motive.

A Saudi source revealed that Germany had received multiple warnings about Taleb A. since his arrival in 2006.

Reuters also cited a spokesperson from a rehabilitation clinic in Bernburg, specializing in treating criminals with addictions, who confirmed that the suspect had worked as a psychiatrist there. However, he had been on sick leave and holiday since October.

Witnesses at the market described a scene of horror, with Andrea Reis recounting how she and her daughter narrowly avoided being hit by the vehicle. "If we'd stayed where we were we'd have been in the car's path," she said, visibly shaken.

  • Germany
  • Magdeburg
  • Christmas market
  • Saudi Arabia

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
The Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza showed that after combating Israeli aggression for two years, they remain victorious in the face of oppression (Mahdi Rteil/Al Mayadeen English)

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

  • Politics
  • 6 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Displaced Palestinians watch smoke rise after Israeli military strikes as they gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, Thursday, October 9, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli occupation bombs Gaza home, killing 4 and wounding 9

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, right, visit the site of a shooting attack at a bus stop in al-Quds, Monday, September 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ben-Gvir warns will topple Netanyahu’s govt over Hamas

Head of Hamas in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya speaks during an interview with AP, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (AP)
Politics

Deal reached for permanent Gaza ceasefire, end to war: Al-Hayya

Yemeni Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during his speech on Thursday, Ocotber 9, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)
Politics

Sayyed al-Houthi: Yemen on alert as Gaza ceasefire takes effect

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS