A man managed to bypass security installations at the Christmas Market in Magdeburg with his car, a BMW SUV, driving into the crowd of people, injuring 200 and killing 4. At least 15 of those wounded had life-threatening injuries, more of them may die during this weekend.
The terrorist who was arrested on the spot, is, according to preliminary information by the police, a refugee from Saudi Arabia, 50 years of age, who came to Germany in 2006 and has worked as a psychiatrist in the city of Berneburg for the past several years. The car was rented.
According to Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and other mainstream media information, the alleged perpetrator is said to be a prominent figure in the Saudi exile community and was regarded as a contact person for asylum seekers, especially women. Statements that the man is said to have made on social media until recently provide indications that he may have felt persecuted. According to these statements, he was extremely critical of Islam online and feared the Islamization of Germany.
Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the Saudi government had warned Berlin three times about the man as a dangerous person, requesting his extradition, which the Germans refused.
