(MENAFN- Live Mint) Germany Christmas market Attack: The Saudi Arabian doctor accused of killing five people and injuring more than 200 others by ramming a car into a crowded German Christmas market had a history of making anti-Islam statements, which had grown increasingly dark and threatening towards Germany in recent months, according to CNN report.
The suspect, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, was arrested at the scene of the deadly attack in Magdenburg on Friday. German authorities said they believed he acted alone.
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'Saudi Atheist' Taleb Al Abdulmohsen
Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old psychiatrist and Saudi Arabian citizen, came to Germany in 2006.
Once settled in Germany, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen began sharing advice online with other people about how to escape repressive regimes in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, setting up the platform wearesaudis.
While initially appreciative of Germany, in recent years Abdulmohsen appeared to grow increasingly disgruntled with the country and its immigration policies .
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In 2015, Germany reportedly welcomed more than a million refugees from the Middle East but has since moved to tighten border controls.
German authorities said on Saturday that they were examining Al Abdulmohsen's“dissatisfaction” with Germany's treatment of refugees, although they said more time was needed to establish a motive.
On social media, Al Abdulmohsen posted openly about renouncing his Islamic faith, expressed sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and accused Germany of promoting the Islamisation of the country.
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Earlier this year, he made dark threats against Germany and the German people online – something the German authorities were apparently alerted to.
On his account on X (formerly Twitter), the German Christmas market attack suspect posted in May to his nearly 50,000 followers,“German terrorism will be brought to justice. It's very likely that I will die this year in order to bring justice.”
He made a similar statement in August when he posted:“I assure you that if Germany wants a war, we will fight it. If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die, or go to prison with pride.”
The police also released additional details on the victims of Friday's attack. The dead include a nine-year-old boy and four women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, according to the statement.
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Saudi Warnings to Germany Saudi authorities had previously warned their German counterparts about the suspected attacker, on several occasions, CNN reported quoting people in the know.
But speaking to German public broadcaster ZDF, Holger Münch , the president of Germany's federal criminal office confirmed,“We ourselves were once the recipient of a tip-off from Saudi Arabia in November 2023.”
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Holger Münch continued that proceedings were initiated and Saxony-Anhalt police took“appropriate investigative measures”. However, the information they had on Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was too“unspecific” and he was“not known for violent acts”.
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