Magdeburg, Germany Reels After Christmas Market Attack Leaves 5 Dead, 44 Injured
The Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, was the site of a horrific car-ramming attack on Friday night, leaving at least five people dead, including a 9-year-old boy, and 44 others injured. The city is in shock, with residents leaving candles and flowers at the crime scene to pay their respects.
The suspect, 50-year-old Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, is a German resident who was originally from Saudi Arabia and worked as a consultant psychiatric doctor in a local clinic. He is an avowed atheist and anti-Islam, and expressed strong anti-immigration views and anger towards what he saw as the German government’s soft line on immigration.
Despite not fitting the expected security profile, the attack has fueled anger and suspicion among Germans, with many calling for a broader crackdown on immigration. German politicians from opposite ends of the political spectrum have seized on the attack to attack the coalition government, and the far-right AfD party is organizing a rally in Magdeburg on Monday evening to discuss security matters.
The attack has also revived memories of a similar assault in 2016, when a 24-year-old Tunisian man plowed a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing over a dozen people. Corinna Pagels, an emergency psychological counselor, said the attack has left the community grappling with grief, bewilderment, and shock, and is offering help to those affected.
As the investigation continues, residents are left to deal with the aftermath of the attack, and many are demanding action from the government to address their concerns about immigration and security.