As Germany mourns the death of at least five people after a vehicle intentionally plowed into a crowded Christmas marketauthorities are working to understand the suspect behind the attack.
The suspect, identified by local media as Taleb A., 50, had been living and working as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy in Germany for two decades, authorities said.
Originally from Saudi Arabia, Taleb came to Germany in 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016 CBS News Partner the BBC reported. He worked at the Salus-Fachklinikum Bernburg, a specialist clinic in Bernburg, about 25 miles south of Magdeburg.
In one Instagram post on Saturday, the clinic said it was “surprised to learn that the alleged perpetrator worked as a specialist physician at our app in Bernburg.” It added that Taleb had been with the company since March 2020, but had been off duty since October 2024 due to illness and vacation.
“We have been supporting the work of the investigating authorities in every way possible since the afternoon,” and are “stunned and shocked by the horrific attack.”
A Saudi source said Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned German authorities about the attacker after he posted extremist views on his personal X account that threatened peace and security.
Taleb’s X account is full of posts and re-shares focused on anti-Islamic themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.
He was critical of the German authorities, saying they had not done enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe”.
He has also expressed his support for the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Michael Probst / AP
The German newspaper FAZ said it interviewed the suspect in 2019 and described him as an anti-Islam activist.
“People like me, who have an Islamic background but are no longer believers, find neither understanding nor tolerance from Muslims here,” he said. “I am the most aggressive critic in the history of Islam. If you don’t believe me, ask the Arabs.”
Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to find a suspect in an act of mass violence with this profile.
Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’, you think nothing can surprise you. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim living in East Germany loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance of Islamists, that wasn’t really on my radar.”
Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have targeted Saudi asylum seekers.
Ebrahim Noorozi / AP
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday: “At this point, we can only say with certainty that the perpetrator was obviously Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter of further investigation and we have to wait”.
A Germany-based organization called Atheist Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not part of the group and claimed he made “numerous accusations and claims” against him and former board members, which it said were false.
“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest possible terms,” the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal complaint against him in 2019 after “the slander and the most serious verbal attacks.”
Taleb was arrested in Magdeburg after he drove a black BMW into a Christmas market full of holiday shoppers on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring around 200 others.