The man laid down on the pavement next to a dark BMW car that he had rented from a rental company shortly before the crime. According to the newspaper Bild, the video shows a heavily damaged bumper of the vehicle.
The suspect in the attack is a 50-year-old doctor named Taleb A. originally from Saudi Arabia. He worked as a psychiatrist at a Magdeburg clinic and lived in Bernburg, about 45 kilometers south of Magdeburg.
He has been in Germany since 2006 and has had an unlimited residence permit for eight years. The authorities have not yet registered him as an extremist.
The motive for his act is not yet clear. According to the magazine Der Spiegel, he worked for years as an activist who advised women from Saudi Arabia how to flee the country. He was even supposed to run a website with information about the details of the German asylum system.
Der Spiegel further stated that Taleb A. “is clearly a supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD)”, that is, a party that fights against immigration and Islam. Eight years ago, he wrote on Twitter at the time that he intended to launch an “academy for former Muslims” project together with the AfD.
When one user asked him why the AfD, Taleb A. replied: “Who else is fighting Islam in Germany?”.
According to the police, Taleb A. acted alone on Friday evening. Initial fears that he might have an explosive device in the car were not confirmed.
A driver drove into a crowd of people at the Christmas markets in Magdeburg, at least 2 dead and 68 injured. The detainee is a Saudi doctor
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