The German government argued on Monday that the tragedy would have been difficult to prevent and that the assume appeared to be mentally disturbed. The state was under fire for failing to stop a fatal car-ramming strike on a Christmas market.
A parliamentary committee questioned Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, as well as security and intelligence officials, about the assault, which left five people dead and more than 200 wounded, and whether there had been any missed clues and surveillance gaps.
No motive for the December 20 assault in the eastern area of Magdeburg, where a Arabian man was detained, has yet been determined, according to Faeser, who added that” there are dramatic evidence of a neurotic psyche.”
She added that there must be a lesson learned on how to identify potential attackers who don’t fit traditional danger groups and who “are physiologically disturbed and… driven by bewildered crime ideas.”
The minister argued that” such as attackers do certainly suit any threat profile”– quite as far-right extremists or Islamists– and that European security services may need “other indicators and action plans” to deal with them in the future.
After the abuse that used a motor vehicle as a tool, a technique recently employed in jihadist problems including in Berlin and in the European city of Nice in 2016, police arrested Saudi physician Taleb al-Abdulmohsen.
Abdulmohsen, by comparison, has in the recent voiced highly anti-Islam opinions and affections with the far right in his social media posts, as well as frustration at Germany for allowing in too many Muslim war migrants and another asylum-seekers.
According to Faeser, there were “tens of dozens of comments” Abdulmohsen had sent over the years that were not yet thoroughly examined.
” That explains why not everything is on the board yet,” she said,” but who knew what facts and what was passed on when it had to be properly clarified?”
– ‘ Terrible work’-
A relocated BMW sport utility vehicle ploughed through the throng of revellers at great speed, leaving a terrible path of destruction, and Abdulmohsen, 50, is the only believe in the assault, in which Abdulmohsen, 50, is the only think.
He has previously been treated for mental illness and tested positive for drug use, according to media reports citing unnamed German security sources.
Abdulmohsen has been remanded in custody on five counts of murder and 205 counts of attempted murder, prosecutors said, but so far not on terrorism-related charges.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is currently running for president in February, promised to “examine very carefully” on Friday whether any errors were made by the authorities or whether any errors were made in the run-up to the attack.
German media investigations into Abdulmohsen’s past and his social media posts have revealed threats of violence against German citizens and politicians as well as expressions of anger and frustration.
Saudi Arabia said it had repeatedly warned Germany about, and demanded the extradition of, Abdulmohsen, who came to Germany in 2006 and was granted refugee status 10 years later.
– ‘ Foreseeable for everyone’-
According to media reports, Abdulmohsen also had a history of encounters with the law and court cases in Germany, including for violent threats.
German police have claimed to have reached out to Abdulmohsen in September of 2023 and October of 2024 after having repeatedly tried but failed to contact him again in December.
Ahead of February’s election, the Christmas market bloodshed has reignited heated debate about immigration and security, after deadly knife attacks this year blamed on Islamist extremists.
After Monday’s hearing, lawmaker Konstantin Kuhle of the liberal Free Democrats said” the federal and state authorities knew this perpetrator”.
Kuhle, however, claimed that no official had all the details connected and that” we do not have a complete list of all contacts with the authorities as of today.”
Faeser said that having a fuller picture of all the data would have been good, but would likely” not have prevented” the attack.
The party’s far-right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany lawmaker Gottfried Curio was most harsh in his criticism.
” Everything was foreseeable for everyone”, he charged. ” We have hundreds of dangerous people in this country, we let them run around.
” What we need are deportations, instead we get naturalisations. A change in security policy in this country is now necessary.
Explore the yearly horoscope 2025 for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces zodiac signs. Don’t miss the Chinese horoscope 2025 for Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig zodiac signs.
