Grief and anger are simmering in Magdeburg after an attacker used an emergency lane to enter a Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200.
During his visit on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, ministers and regional political leaders were heckled by members of the public, some apparently outraged by what was criticized as a security lapse.
German authorities defended the layout and security of the market.
Authorities are also facing questions after reports they were tipped off last year about the suspect, with police saying they carried out an assessment of whether the perpetrator might be a potential threat a year ago.
The suspect was remanded in custody and charged with murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.
Usually at this time of year, German city centers are full of shoppers and mulled wine-sipping revelers, but this year the mood is very different.
The main Christmas market has been cordoned off and surrounded by police vans as armed officers patrol nearby shops and malls.
There is sadness in the air in Magdeburg, as well as bewilderment and anger as people ask how this could have happened.
When Scholz and his colleagues emerged from the closed market during their visit on Saturday, they were met with boos, jeers and shouts of “hau ab”, an extremely aggressive form of “get away”.
Some people seemed outraged by the alleged security breach. Others seemed simply irritated and annoyed in general by Germany's political leaders.
Security has been stepped up at Christmas markets across Germany after a similar attack in Berlin in 2016, when a man drove a truck into a crowd at a market, killing 12 people.
Open-plan Christmas markets now have some kind of barrier around them – usually large concrete blocks, as is the case in Magdeburg.
However, the gap in the barriers was large enough to allow emergency vehicles to pass through.
City Clerk Ronnie Krug told reporters at a news conference Saturday that emergency services need an evacuation route in the event of a “conventional” emergency and all relevant agencies have approved the plan.
“The concept of safety and security must, on the one hand, protect those attending the event as much as possible, but it must also ensure that, at the same time, if something happens, they can leave the place safely and quickly” , he said.
“Maybe this is something that could not have been prevented,” he added.
German media reported that there had been warnings of a potential threat from the suspect before the attack.
The suspect, a doctor from Saudi Arabia named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, arrived in Germany in 2006. and in 2016 is recognized as a refugee.
An atheist, he runs a website aimed at helping other ex-Muslims flee persecution in their Gulf homeland. His social media was filled with anti-Islam sentiments and conspiracy theories.
At Saturday's press conference, Magdeburg police chief Tom-Oliver Langhans said police had assessed whether the perpetrator could be a potential threat, “but that discussion was a year ago.”
He added that investigations into the suspect's background were ongoing and declined to comment further.
One of those alerts is believed to have come from Saudi Arabia, the suspect's home country.
A source close to the Saudi government told the BBC it had sent four official notifications, known as “Notes Verbales”, to German authorities warning them of what they said were the “very extreme views” held by Al-Abdulmohsen.
However, a counter-terrorism expert told the BBC that the Saudis may have orchestrated a disinformation campaign to discredit someone who tried to help young Saudi women seek asylum in Germany.
On Saturday, Langhans said he had no information when asked if Saudi Arabia was issuing warnings.
The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) Holger Münch later told public broadcaster ZDF that his office had received a notification from Saudi Arabia in November 2023. He said the local police had taken appropriate investigative measures, but the matter was inconclusive.
He added that the suspect “had various contacts with the authorities, insulted them and even made threats, but was not known for acts of violence.”
Past investigations will have to be reviewed, Munch said.