Taleb al-Abdulmohsen is suspected of driving a BMW into a crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday night – Rair Foundation USA it was revealed that he is an atheist and a pro-Isr@el activist.
By SARA ABOUBAKR
Authorities have not formally named the suspect in the car ramming in the city of Magdeburg that killed at least five people and wounded hundreds, saying only that he is a Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany for nearly two decades and that he acted alone.
Local media say he is 50-year-old Taleb A, a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist.
He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening.
Taleb’s X account describes him as a former Muslim. It is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion, while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith.
He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”
He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum-seekers.
Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had never before come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.
“After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance toward Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar,” he wrote.
On Saturday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic — we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”
A German-based organization called Atheist Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not a part of the group and claimed that he made “numerous accusations and claims” against it and former board members, which it said were false.
Originally, there was a plan to work together to coordinate aid for atheist refugees from Saudi Arabia, it said. However, this cooperation failed.
“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest terms,” the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal complaint against him in 2019 following “the most foul slander and verbal attacks.”
Education alone can’t prevent radicalisation
Discussions around preventing radicalisation through education have resurfaced in the wake of the attack.
Counter-terrorism consultant Rebecca Schönenbach commented on X, saying, “Education does not prevent radicalisation […]”
Euronews reached out to Schönenbach to comment further on her statement.
Schönenbach explained: “Highly educated individuals are often found in organised terrorist groups. For example, the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in Germany, has historically advertised themselves at universities.”
“Radical left-wing organisations, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist group by the EU, also recruit within student communities. This has been seen at German universities, especially since 7 October 2023 attack.”
“These examples demonstrate that education does not automatically prevent radicalisation. Therefore, while education is important, it cannot be the sole preventative measure,” Schönenbach concluded.
In the case of Taleb A., it has become clear that he had been spreading Islamophobic views online for years and showed support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). He expressed a desire to establish an academy for ex-Muslims in collaboration with the AfD and, according to several media reports, stated: “Who else is fighting Islam in Germany?”
Saudi Arabia warned Germany about the suspect
Saudi Arabia had warned Germany about the man suspected of carrying out the incident at the Magdeburg Christmas market, according to Saudi Arabian security sources.
Saudi Arabia requested the extradition of the suspect, named under German law as Taleb A., but Germany had not responded, the sources said.
They said the man was a Shiite Muslim who comes from the city of Al-Hofuf in eastern Saudi Arabia. Shiites are a minority in the country, making up only around 10% in the majority Sunni nation.
German authorities were alerted about the man about a year ago, dpa has learned, however the nature of the warning is currently unknown.
Yahoo News/ AP