Saudi attacker from Magdeburg sentenced to life imprisonment
A 51-year-old Saudi psychiatrist was sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg in December 2024.
Saudi attacker from Magdeburg sentenced to life imprisonment
The Magdeburg regional court has sentenced Saudi psychiatrist Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen to life imprisonment for the attack on the city's Christmas market on 20 December 2024. Six people were killed in the attack and more than 300 others were wounded.
The 51-year-old drove a rented BMW X3 across the Alten Markt into the crowd at the busy Christmas market that Friday evening. According to investigators, the vehicle reached a speed of 48 km/h. Among the dead were a nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75.
The court also determined that the crime was of particular severity, making early release after 15 years virtually impossible. Subsequent preventive detention was reserved. Judge Dirk Sternberg stated that the defendant had set himself the goal of "injuring as many people as possible, at least seriously".
Al-Abdulmohsen came to Germany as a refugee in 2006 and was already known to the authorities. He had expressed Islamophobic views on social media and indicated sympathy for the right-wing populist AfD. His motive: he accused German authorities of failing to provide adequate protection for Saudi refugees, whilst being generous towards Muslim refugees from the Middle East.
During the eight-month trial, the convicted man showed no remorse according to the court's account. Psychiatric assessments classified him as fully responsible for his actions and attested to a persistent dangerousness.
Source: Le Temps
Source: Le Temps