Germany is mourning the deaths of at least five people after a a car deliberately crashed into a crowded Christmas marketauthorities are working to identify a suspect in the attack.
The suspect is identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A. – lived and worked as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy in Germany for two decades, authorities said.
Originally from Saudi Arabia, Taleb arrived in Germany in 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016, CBS News partner This was reported by the BBC. He worked at Salus-Fachklinikum Bernburg, a specialist clinic in Bernburg, about 25 miles south of Magdeburg.
In an Instagram post On Saturday, the clinic said it was “shocked to learn that the alleged perpetrator worked as a specialist doctor for our police force in Bernburg”. It added that Taleb had been with the company since March 2020, but had not been on duty since October 2024 due to illness and leave.
“Since the late hour, we have been supporting the work of the investigative bodies in every possible way,” and they are “stunned and shocked by the terrible attack.”
This was reported by a Saudi source Reuters that Saudi Arabia alerted German authorities about the attacker after he posted extremist views on his personal X account that threatened peace and security.
Taleb X's account is filled with posts and messages he has shared dealing with anti-Islamic themes and criticism of the religion, as well as congratulatory messages to Muslims who have left the faith. He also identified himself as a former Muslim.
He was critical of the German authorities, saying they had not done enough to fight the “Islamism of Europe”.
He also expressed support for the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Michael Probst/AP
German newspaper FAZ said it interviewed the suspect in 2019 and identified him as an anti-Islamic activist.
“People like me, who have an Islamic background but are no longer believers, find neither understanding nor tolerance from Muslims here,” he was quoted as saying. “I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history. If you don't believe me, ask the Arabs.”
Renowned German terrorism expert Peter Neumann wrote on X that he had yet to meet a suspect in mass violence with such a profile.
Neumann, an expert on terrorism, wrote: “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 the AfD and wants to punish Germany. for tolerance of Islamists—that really wasn't on my radar.”
Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women leave their homeland. Recently, he seemed to focus on his theory that German authorities are persecuting Saudi asylum seekers.
Ebrahim Nurosi / AP
German Interior Minister Nancy Feiser told reporters on Saturday: “At the moment we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was clearly an Islamophobe – we can confirm that. Everything else is subject to further investigation and we have to wait.”
A German organization called Atheist Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not part of the group and claimed he had made “numerous accusations and claims” against it and former board members that it believed were false.
“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest possible way,” the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal case against him in 2019 after “the grossest defamation and verbal attacks”.
Taleb was arrested on the spot after a black BMW plowed into a Christmas market packed with holiday shoppers in Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring around 200.