The death toll from the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg has reached 4, the police are investigating the motive of the attacker, his statements in support of the AfD are quoted by German media, reports DW, UNN writes.
Details
According to the latest reports, four people were killed and 205 injured in the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg. ARD learned this from security sources. Earlier, there were reports of two dead and 60 to 80 wounded.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Fazer arrived in Magdeburg to express their condolences at the scene of the tragedy. Mourning for the victims has been declared in the city.
The attacker's motive is still unclear. According to Die Welt, the attacker is a 50-year-old specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy from Saudi Arabia. In an interview with FAZ in 2019, the man called himself "the most aggressive critic of Islam in history.
On the attacker's page on the social network X, as noted, the attacker repeatedly accused the German government and police of "Islamizing Europe." The man expressed his sympathy for Elon Musk and the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany on his social media. The media reported his dream of establishing an academy for former Muslims together with the AfD.
In one of the posts published in June this year, the man claimed that German police were attempting to "destroy" his "anti-Islamic activities". He also claimed that Germany was "hunting for Saudi asylum seekers inside and outside of Germany in order to destroy their lives.