Suspect arrested at German Christmas market by judge

A man accused of killing four women and a nine-year-old boy by driving them through a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has been jailed.

The 50-year-old was brought before the Magdeburg District Court on Saturday evening following the incident on Friday when a black BMW plowed into the crowded market, injuring more than 200 people.

Magdeburg police said investigations are continuing and officers are appealing for witnesses to send photos or videos of the incident.

Local media reported that the suspect is called Talib Al-Abdul Mohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who arrived in Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor.

On Sunday morning, Magdeburg police confirmed that four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, were killed in the accident.

“The judge ordered pretrial detention on five counts of murder, multiple attempted murders and multiple counts of grievous bodily harm,” the court statement said.

City officials said about 100 police, paramedics and firefighters, as well as 50 rescue service personnel, went to the scene shortly after 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Friday.

Eyewitnesses described how they had to jump out of the car’s path during the attack.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, a woman named Nadine described being at the Christmas market with her friend Marco when the car came speeding towards them.

“He was beaten and dragged away from my side,” the 32-year-old told the newspaper. “It was terrible.”

Lars Frommüller, a correspondent for German public broadcaster MDR, told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight program that he saw “blood on the floor” as well as “several doctors trying to warm people and help them treat their injuries.”

A memorial service was held for the victims of the attack at Magdeburg Cathedral on Saturday evening

The mass was attended by families of the victims, emergency workers and federal government officials, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During a visit to the market earlier Saturday, Schulz called the attack a “terrible tragedy” in which “so many people were injured and killed with such brutality” in a place that was supposed to be “joyful.”

He told reporters that there were serious concerns for those who were seriously injured and that “all resources” would be allocated to investigating the suspect behind the attack.

Earlier, Rainer Haseloff, Prime Minister of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, said that the preliminary investigation indicates that the alleged attacker was acting alone.

Prosecutor Horst-Walter Nobbens said on Saturday that the investigation was continuing but suggested that one possible motive for the attack “could be dissatisfaction with the way Saudi refugees are treated in Germany.”

Police said it was believed that Al-Abdul Mohsen entered the market through an entry point designated for emergency vehicles.

The suspect is a psychiatrist who lives in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.

Al-Abdul Mohsen, originally from Saudi Arabia, arrived in Germany in 2006, and in 2016 was recognized as a refugee.

He ran a website aimed at helping other former Muslims flee persecution in their Gulf homelands.

The suspected attacker has no known links to Islamic extremism. His social media and posts seemed to indicate that he was criticizing Islam.

A source close to the Saudi government told the BBC that it had sent four official notices known as “verbal notes” to the German authorities, warning them of what it said were the “extremely extremist views” held by Al-Abdul Mohsen.

The source, who requested to remain anonymous, said that these notifications were ignored.

However, another counterterrorism expert said the Saudis may be launching a disinformation campaign to discredit someone who tried to help young Saudi women seek asylum in Germany.

Additional reporting by Frank Gardner.