The Saudi man who is suspected to be behind the deadly car attack on a Christmas market in Germany was arrested hours after the horrific incident.
Graphic CCTV footage shows the heinous terror attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) December 20, 2024
German citizens cannot share this video, otherwise they will be arrested because it likely shows an iIIegal migrant doing this.https://t.co/0Ql7ORqO5x
At lease two people were killed in the attack and 68 others were injured after the dark BMW mowed them down in the eastern German town of Magdeburg. Emergency services said the number of injured might be as high as 80.
Who is Taleb Abdul Jawad?
The man, identified as Taleb A. by the authorities, is a doctor and psychotherapist, according to The Guardian. He came to Germany as refugee in 2006 due to Saudi Arabia's Islamic government. He settled in Bernburg, which is south of Magdeburg, after acquiring official refugee status in 2016.
It has emerged that Saudi Arabia had informed Germany about the attacker, Taleb Abdul Jawad, who posted extremist views on X, according to a Saudi source quoted as saying by Reuters. He was allegedly a sympathiser of Alternative for Germany, a far-right party in the country.
🚨 #BREAKING: The Christmas Market attacker in Germany is a SAUDI ARABIAN national born in 1974, per BILD
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 20, 2024
This is a video of his arrest.
THIS WILL come to America if we don’t fix our immigration system NOW! pic.twitter.com/vZQ6NAh71X
A Saudi source told Reuters the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.
Taleb is reportedly an women's rights and anti-Islam activist in the Saudi community in Germany. He even ran websites and social media pages for these causes and warned prospective refugees to avoid coming to Germany because the government tolerates radical Islam.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation of the incident that took place in a market in the city of Magdeburg in the Federal Republic of Germany in which a car plowed into crowds, resulting in the death and injury of a number of… pic.twitter.com/Ozc85f0GpZ
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) December 21, 2024
Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt where Magdeburg is located, said one of the dead was a young child. Haseloff said the death toll could rise as some of the injuries were severe.
The latest attack comes a day after Germany marked the anniversary of the 2016 Berlin Christmas attack, killing 12 people and injuring 56 people. It was deemed as the deadliest terrorist attack on Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was set to travel to Magdeburg on Saturday, said his thoughts are with the victims and their families. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the "background to the terrible deed" was yet to be clarified.
Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims.
