Germany was still in a state of shock today and was trying to learn more about the suspected perpetrator of the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, which killed five people and injured more than 200 others, the Associated Press reported.
German authorities said that the perpetrator, identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A. - a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy - had lived in Germany for nearly two decades. He was arrested on the spot after he drove his car into visitors at a busy Christmas market last night.
Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann said on the social network “Ex“ that he had never encountered a perpetrator of mass violence with such a profile.
Taleb A.'s profile on “Ex“ is filled with comments focused on anti-Islamic themes and criticism of religion, as well as congratulations to Muslims who have renounced their faith. He also describes himself as a former Muslim.
He has also been critical of German authorities, saying they have failed in the fight against “Islamists in Europe“. He has also expressed support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.
“After 25 years in this “business“ you think nothing can surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim living in East Germany, loves “AfG“ and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance of Islamists - that really missed my radar,“ Neumann wrote in a comment.
Meanwhile, the German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“ reported that he had interviewed the suspect in 2019, describing him as an anti-Islam activist.
“People like me, who have an Islamic background but are no longer believers, are not met with understanding or tolerance by Muslims here. I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history. If you don't believe me, ask the Arabs,“ he told the publication at the time.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser told reporters that “at this stage, all that can be said with certainty is that the perpetrator was clearly Islamophobic. “We can confirm that. Everything else is a matter of further investigation and we have to wait,“ she added.