The festive season turned into a mourning period for the city of Magdeburg.
A car crashed into crowds at a Christmas market in the Saxony-Anhalt capital, Magdeburg, Germany, resulting in the death of two people, including a child, and more than 60 injured, out of which 15 are in critical condition.
The authorities described the attack as intentional and named a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor as a suspect in the case.
Identified as Talib Al-Abdulmohsen, the suspect was arrested on the scene as footage emerged of the man lying on the ground by the vehicle as armed police took the 50-year-old into custody.
The suspect’s online activities suggest that he was a critic of Islam, an atheist, and was known as pro-Israel. He first took refuge in Germany in 2006.
Investigations are still under way, and a motive has still not been disclosed, though the officials believe the perpetrator acted alone.
Counter-terrorism expert believes it’s too early to rule out the involvement of a wider network.
Hans-Jakob Schindler, a senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, while talking to Germany’s public broadcaster DW, said that the authorities might have called the Saudi doctor “a lone wolf” to not create any panic.
He continued, “I think the announcement is giving the wrong impression.”.
Schindler said that it is possible that the 50-year-old acted alone, but a possibility of a wider network who helped the man from afar cannot be dismissed.
As the elections are near, this attack will most likely determine what it means for the future migration laws and policies in Germany.
