Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor accused of killing four women and a 9-year-old boy by driving into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, now faces five counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault after appearing in court Saturday night.
His court appearance comes as details emerge about the attack and possible motives.
German privacy laws prevent authorities from releasing the suspect’s full name, though they confirmed that his first name was Taleb. Two senior U.S. officials familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News that al-Abdulmohsen was the suspect.
The incident occurred on Friday when a black BMW plowed through the crowded market, leaving 200 people injured, about 40 of them in a critical condition.
The victims were a 9-year-old boy and four women, ages 52, 45, 67 and 75.
The attacker bypassed security bollards — set up to prevent such attacks — with the rental vehicle and entered the crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg through a gap meant for emergency vehicles, Tom-Oliver Langhans, director of the Magdeburg police, said at a press conference Saturday.
Once inside, the attacker drove 1,200 feet at speed into the narrow, crowded alley, knocking scores of people to the ground, authorities said. Forensic scientists are probing whether the attacker had intentionally disabled the car’s emergency braking system to maximize impact.
Minutes after the attack, armed police confronted the suspect near the wrecked vehicle in a dramatic arrest witnessed by shocked bystanders.
Magdeburg police said investigations are ongoing and officers are appealing for witnesses to send in photos or video of the incident.
At the press conference Saturday evening, officials revealed that the suspect had been questioned, without revealing what he had said.
Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said the motive is still being investigated but that “the background of the act” could be linked to “dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi Arabian refugees in Germany.”
Officials said Friday that the suspect acted alone, which former New York state homeland security adviser Michael Balboni characterized as the “worst-case scenario for security officials.”
“This came out of nowhere,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Witt. “You can monitor social media, but for the most part you’re not going to know the timing on this or what they’re going to do.”
Al-Abdulmohsen had voiced anger at Germany and its police, allegedly previously saying, “The nation that is actively criminally chasing Islam critics to ruin their lives is the German nation.”
He had first first entered Germany in 2006, sought asylum there in 2016, citing threats from Saudi Arabia, and worked at a clinic as a “specialist in psychiatry.” The clinic, in the city of Bernberg, 25 miles south of the attack, confirmed his employment to NBC News, saying that he had not been on duty since October, due to “vacation and illness.”
His online activity includes historic and recent inflammatory content on X, and he has been accused of erratic behavior by an NGO for refugees. He has aligned himself with far-right movements such as Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
When asked whether the attacker could have been stopped, Nopens said, “We didn’t have the perpetrator in our focus.”
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