Shock at the Christmas market: Five dead with a fatal killing spree in Magdeburg!

The shock waves after the tragic attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20, 2024 are still noticeable. In this fateful incident, which took place at 7:02 p.m. (CET), five people were killed, including a nine-year-old child from Lower Saxony and four women from Saxony-Anhalt aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 years. In addition, over 200 people were injured, 41 of them seriously. The perpetrator, Taleb A., a 50-year-old doctor from Bernburg and native Saudi Arabian, drove into the crowd with a rented black BMW SUV through a rescue alley and recorded passers-by over about 300 meters.

The national handball coach Alfred Gislason was deeply affected by this incident. In a statement he expressed: "I am shaken" and made it clear that he knows the place of the action well, since he has lived near Magdeburg, in Wendgräben for around 25 years. Gislason appealed to stand up for our values ​​and lifestyle, and warned of a partly global impression that is nourished by social dissatisfaction.

Details on the attack and the investigation

The exact background of the crime is so far unclear. The public prosecutor has now updated the number of injuries to 235, whereby possible multiple counts must be observed. The offender was arrested by the police after the crime. Interestingly, Saudi Arabia had already warned the German security authorities three times about Al-Abdulmohsen, but indications of violent threats were not adequately pursued. Experts assign the perpetrator and motivation to the right -wing extremist spectrum.

After the attack, there were attacks on people read and false information on social media circulated. The security concept of the Christmas market was also criticized because it was possible to penetrate with vehicles. Afterwards, the city of the victims commemorates a service and has ordered a mourning.

International reactions did not fail to materialize, expressions of solidarity came from Saudi Arabia, Austria, France and the USA, among others. In response to the attack, the safety precautions at Christmas markets in Germany were increased.