MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) – Germany was still in shock Saturday and struggling to understand the suspect who carried out the attack in the city of Magdeburg.
Identified by local media as Taleb A., 50, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, authorities say he has lived in Germany for 20 years. He was arrested on the spot after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market full of holiday shoppers on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring around 200.
Renowned German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted to X that he had yet to meet a suspect in the name of mass violence with that profile.
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Taleb's X account is filled with tweets and retweets that focus on anti-Islamic themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who have left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.
He criticized the German authorities, saying they failed to do enough to fight “European Islamism.”
He also expressed support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Some have described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their country. Recently, he appeared to focus on his opinion that the German authorities were targeting Saudi asylum seekers.
Neumann, a terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this 'business' you think nothing can surprise you. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance of Islamists – that was not on my radar. “
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