The German government has announced that the suspect in the deadly hit-and-run at Magdeburg’s Christmas market exhibits “symptoms” of mental disorders, describing his behaviour as indicative of a “pathological psyche”.
“What stands out are the thousands of statements he made on social media, which point to a pathological psyche,” interior minister Nancy Faeser said on December 30 after a session with the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs.
Faeser emphasised the need to draw lessons on tracking individuals who may be “psychologically disturbed and driven by convoluted conspiracy theories”.
Since the day of the incident on December 20, authorities have been investigating the motives behind the alleged actions of Taleb Jawad al Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi physician who had resided in Germany since 2006. Abdulmohsen allegedly drove a BMW 4×4 at high speed through pedestrians at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, leaving five dead and more than 200 injured.
Abdulmohsen was apprehended without resistance near the scene of the attack.
The suspect, who had been known for his alleged hostility towards Islam and estrangement from his religion and country of origin, “does not fit into any previously known profiles”, Faeser noted.
“There are tens of thousands of tweets from the perpetrator, so not everything is yet on the table,” she added.
Faeser also defended the authorities against accusations from opposition parties and various media outlets regarding alleged missteps in handling the case.
Politically, opposition parties have strongly criticised the government’s handling of the case. Faeser defended herself against these accusations, insisting established procedures had been followed.
People who leave Germany permanently become more satisfied with their lives, a long-term study by the German Federal Institute for Population Studies has found. https://t.co/JzeBt80S1b
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 20, 2024
