Local officials have reported that a crazed attacker drove a car at high speed into a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, resulting in the deaths of at least two individuals and the injury of over 60 others.
This incident represents a setback for local security agencies, which had recently issued a warning regarding the increasing likelihood of terroristic attacks.
Reiner Haseloff, the state premier of Saxony-Anhalt, informed journalists on the scene that the perpetrator, a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who had been legally residing in Germany since 2006, had been apprehended.
A small infant was reportedly among the casualties.
Additional details indicated a more intricate portrait of a man who harbored profound negative feelings toward Islam and perceived himself as being persecuted by German authorities.
According to a senior German security official who is familiar with the investigation, the Saudi national arrived in Germany in 2006 as an asylum seeker, claiming that he escaped the Islamic theocracy that governed Saudi Arabia.
He was granted refugee status and subsequently granted permanent residence in the country, where he began his career as a psychotherapist and physician. The hamlet of Bernburg was his residence.
The individual gained recognition in the small Saudi community in Germany as an activist for women’s rights and anti-Islam.
According to the German security official, he maintained a website and numerous social media platforms that served as warnings against Islamization and provided guidance to potential asylum seekers.
The individual frequently posted about the persecution of women in the Middle East, according to his assertions.
Additionally, he had expressed his support for Germany’s anti-immigration AfD party and shared pro-Israel content since the Oct. 7 attack.
He claimed in his most recent social media posts, which were published days prior to the attack, that the German government was promoting the Islamization of the country.
He also accused authorities of censoring and persecuting him due to his critical views of the religion. He cautioned potential refugees to steer clear of Germany on his website due to the government’s apparent tolerance of radical Islam.
It was believed that the individual, who was operating a rented BMW in the market, acted independently.
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