German authorities have arrested a Saudi-born man in connection with the Christmas market car attack in the Saxony-Anhalt city of Magdeburg on Friday. The suspect is a 50-year-old who has been practising medicine in Germany for nearly two decades.
According to reports, the suspect is Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, who is a permanent resident of Germany. Taleb first came to Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor in a small town 25 miles south of Magdeburg. A self-described atheist and ex-Muslim, Taleb was granted asylum in Germany.
While the motive behind his Christmas market attack is unclear, Taleb's social media activities showed his recent dissatisfaction with how Germany has failed to protect critics of Islam like him. In some of his recent videos, Taleb also spoke about his past as an asylum seeker and working for an asylum seeker NGO.
He has also reposted far-right conspiracies and believes that Germany wants to "Islamise Europe". Taleb also seems to be a fan of the German pro-Nazi party AfD, which was recently endorsed by Elon Musk as the only party that can save the country.
On his X bio, Taleb describes himself as: "Saudi Military Opposition, Germany chases female Saudi asylum seekers, inside and outside Germany, to destroy their lives, Germany wants to Islamize Europe."
Many on social media claimed that the attack could have been avoided if German authorities had acted on a Saudi warning.
A Saudi source told Reuters the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
Two people were killed and more than 60 were injured after Taleb drove his car into the crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg.
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