Grief, anger and fear in Magdeburg as authorities seek answers on Christmas market attack suspect
After the carnage at the Magdeburg Christmas market, there are now questions about whether something was missed.
Could the man accused of killing five and injuring more than 200 others have been stopped?
The questions come after it was revealed Taleb A, as he’s being called by German media, had been flagged to authorities before.
A doctor from Saudi Arabia, he moved to Germany in 2006.
German Christmas market attack – latest updates
Forensic experts investigate a damaged car at the scene. Pic: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP
The Saudi authorities reportedly warned German authorities about him several times.
And when he lived in northern Germany, he came into contact with police and the courts and threatened to do something that would attract international attention.
Andre Gleissner was one of at least five people who died in the attack. Pic: Desiree Gleissner
The federal interior minister, Nancy Faeser, has promised there will be a thorough investigation into the man who has been described as “Islamophobic” and a fan of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
“The task is to piece together all findings and paint a picture of this perpetrator, who does not fit any existing mould,” Ms Faeser said.
“This perpetrator acted in an unbelievably cruel and brutal manner – like an Islamist terrorist, although he was clearly ideologically hostile to Islam,” she added.
Far-right protests
Grief is weighing heavy on Magdeburg and the possibility this misery could have been avoided risks stirring up tensions.
Germany is heading towards a general election and there’s a chance the tragedy could be used for political point scoring.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (C) and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) at the memorial service. Pic: AP
People outside Magdeburg Cathedral follow a memorial service. Pic: AP
On Saturday, as hundreds of the city’s residents gathered at a memorial for the victims, far-right protesters were meeting to mark the attack in a very different way.
Seemingly angered by the suspect’s migrant background, around 2,000 people, some wearing black balaclavas, held up a large banner with the word “remigration.”
‘Remigration’ is written on a banner at a demonstration by right-wing groups in Magdeburg. Pic: AP
A man is taken away by police officers during a demonstration by right-wing groups. Pic: AP
Read more:
What we know about attack so far
Magdeburg in shock as it tries to make sense of the senseless
It’s a controversial term popular with supporters of the far-right who seek the mass deportation of immigrants and people deemed not ethnically German.
Police said some minor scuffles broke out.
‘Frightened’
Syrian-born Batoul Nayouf has lived in Magdeburg for five years.
She says many in the migrant community are feeling nervous.
“We are frightened. As immigrants, we are witnessing an extreme wave of hate speech. We are witnessing even violent acts against immigrants,” she says.
“When I was coming here on the tram, there was a German woman and a person of colour. She was actually staring at him until the point she spat on him.”
Syrian-born Batoul Nayouf has lived in Magdeburg for five years
She understands many Germans are afraid, but hopes the community can come together as they mourn.
The people of Magdeburg are grief-stricken and exhausted, and they just want to understand why the Christmas market was attacked.
If they wait too long for answers, their fear may turn to anger.
And the closer Germany gets to the general election, the greater the risk that parties will try to seek support by exploiting those divisions.
Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas“.
Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.
It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report from last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.
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Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.
“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.
“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
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Gaza is ‘a slaughterhouse’ says surgeon
It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.
Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza – where it’s been conducting a military campaign in retaliation for 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023 – with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
Read more:
Gaza at mercy of what comes next
‘At least 93 killed’ in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Friday
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In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
Pro-Western candidate Nicusor Dan has unexpectedly beaten hard-right populist George Simion in the Romanian presidential election.
Mr Simion, 38, and his rival – a centrist who’s mayor of Bucharest – faced off in the second round of the contest.
According to the official tally, Mr Dan was leading by nearly nine percentage points with more than 98% of the votes counted.
Pic: Reuters
Mr Dan and his supporters celebrated the exit polls. Pic: Reuters
After exit polls suggested he wasn’t going to win, Trump-supporting Mr Simion rejected the result and said estimates put him 400,000 votes ahead.
Speaking after voting ended, Mr Simion said his election was “clear” as he posted on Facebook: “I won!!! I am the new President of Romania and I am giving back the power to the Romanians!”
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George Simion on Trump, the EU – and his message to UK
Romania’s last election was annulled after its highest court ruled the leading candidate, nationalist Calin Georgescu, should be disqualified due to claims of electoral interference by Russia.
The result is surprising because in the first round, 38-year-old Mr Simion, founder of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), took 40.96% of the vote – almost 20 points ahead.
George Simion rejected the polls but official counting saw him slip behind. Pic: Reuters
Supporters of Mr Dan celebrated on the streets of the capital Bucharest. Pic: AP
An opinion poll on Friday had it much closer, but still suggested the two men were virtually tied.
Mr Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, is running as an independent and has pledged to clamp down on corruption.
He is also staunchly pro-EU and NATO, and has said Romania’s support for Ukraine is vital for its own security.
When voting closed at 9pm local time, 11.6 million people – about 64% of eligible voters – had cast ballots. About 1.64 million Romanians living abroad also took part.
About 11.6 million people – 64% of eligible voters – cast ballots. Pic: AP
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The election is being closely watched across Europe amid a rise of support for President Donald Trump.
After polls closed, Mr Dan said “elections are not about politicians” but about communities and that in the latest vote “a community of Romanians has won, a community that wants a profound change in Romania”.
“When Romania goes through difficult times, let us remember the strength of this Romanian society,” he said.
“There is also a community that lost today’s elections. A community that is rightly outraged by the way politics has been conducted in Romania up to now.”
Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas”.
Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.
It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report issued last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.
“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.
“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gaza is ‘a slaughterhouse’ says surgeon
It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.
Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
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