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Monday, December 23, 2024

German authorities ignored multiple warnings from Saudi Arabia regarding Christmas market attacker: Report

He self-identified as “Saudi atheist” and had helped women flee gulf countries.

• December 22, 2024
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen

Authorities in Saudi Arabia said multiple warnings they sent to German intelligence agencies regarding Magdeburg market suspect, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, were ignored before he ran a car into the Christmas market that left five people dead and more than 200 injured on Friday.

According to the BBC, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly sent four so-called “Notes Verbal”, three of them to Germany’s intelligence agencies and one to the foreign ministry in Berlin about Mr Abdulmohsen but received no response from German authorities.

The 50-year-old, who was born in Saudi Arabia, self-identified as “Saudi atheist” and had helped women flee gulf countries.

He often expressed far-right and anti-Muslim views on X and was a strong critic of authorities in Berlin for allowing too many Muslim into Germany, citing attempts to Islamised Europe.

Mr Abdulmohsen’s extremist stance reportedly led Saudi authorities to send several warnings to German officials about the danger he posed to his adopted country but none of the warnings were taken up before the psychiatrist carried out the deadly attack last week.

Meanwhile, the German government has vowed to investigate whether the attack could have been prevented after it came to light that authorities had received warnings about the suspect.

Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, the heads of the domestic and foreign intelligence services, would be questioned by two parliamentary committees next week.

Saudi Arabia said they would provide information they have on Mr Abdulmohsen to help them in their investigation.

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