Saudi Arabia warned about the alleged attacker in November 2023. The man arrived legally in Germany in 2006, with a passport and a visa to specialize in psychiatry after studying medicine in his country of origin.
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has confirmed that it received a warning about The suspect was arrested for the deliberate attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday killing five people and injuring more than 200.
“In this context, the Office received a message through its social networks at the end of summer last year about the person suspected of being responsible for the attack in Magdeburg,” the office said in an official statement.
“This report was like all other reports received in significant quantities and also taken seriously,” the agency said, recalling that “it is not an investigative body” and therefore transferred the information to the relevant authorities. The BAMF has asked for “understanding” because its work “goes further than this”. “You cannot comment on individual cases,” he argued.
In recent hours, screenshots of messages sent to the BAMF about the suspect whose authenticity has not been confirmed have circulated on social networks.
An official from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Muench, has also confirmed that they have a report about the suspect from Saudi Arabia in November 2023 and explained it an investigation was openedbut the announcement was “abstract”, according to German public television ARD.
The investigation into the attacker’s motivation continues
The Magdeburg public prosecutor’s office continues to investigate the case mass accident that cost the lives of at least five people in that city, while new details are emerging about the life of the alleged perpetrator, the Saudi doctor Taleb A, and his possible motives.
The dead are a 9-year-old boy and four adult women. Serious injuries are among the 200 injured and it is not excluded that the death toll will have to be corrected upwards.
The manner in which the events took place has been reconstructed by the police and the Magdeburg public prosecutor’s office. Taleb A, driving a black BMW, entered the Christmas market around 7 p.m. taking advantage of the only point where there were no bollards to prevent the passage of cars and the route designed as a path for ambulances and rescue vehicles in front in case something were to happen there.
Police immediately gave chase and were able to arrest the attacker shortly afterwards. An officer who took part in the arrest told German media that the alleged perpetrator had practically surrendered after destroying part of the Christmas market and leaving the car in an unusable state.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
