Will the Christmas market attack further divide Germans over immigration? | crime

German authorities say that the psychiatrist accused of a car-ramming attack in Magdeburg suffers from Islamophobia.

They accused the Saudi psychiatrist – who has lived in Germany for 18 years – with several counts of murder and attempted murder.

But the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made gains in opinion polls ahead of snap elections in February. A few days after the fall of the Assad regime, the government in Berlin froze asylum applications submitted by Syrians.

Will Friday’s massacre, coupled with the dispute over migrants in Europe, divide Germany even further?

Could the police have done more to prevent the attack?

Presenter: Neve Parker

Guests:

Ulrich Bruckner – Professor of Political Science at Stanford University in Berlin

Rachel Rizzo is a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s European Center

Muhammad Al-Kashif – political advisor and advisor to the Solidarity Network with Migrants