Magdeburg mourns Christmas market attack victims amid fears of social divisions
Five people were killed and more than 200 others were injured in the attack on Friday.
Mourners have laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack in Madgeburg as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and fears swirled that the rampage could deepen divisions in German society.
The Johanniskirche, a church a short walk from the scene of the attack, has become a central place of mourning since the suspect drove a car into the busy market on Friday evening, killing five people. A carpet of flowers now covers the broad pavement in front of the church.
Prosecutors said the number of injured had risen to up to 235 as more people had reported to hospitals and doctors, but that it was possible there was some double-counting.
Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency status. They say he does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks.
The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right.
A picture has emerged of someone who had come to authorities’ attention in the past for threatening behaviour and been the subject of tip-offs, but was not known to have committed any violence.
The interior minister of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Tamara Zieschang, told politicians on Monday that police had contacted him in September 2023 and again in October this year, but did not comment publicly on why, German news agency dpa reported.
“The Magdeburg perpetrator had repeatedly attracted attention by threatening crimes. There were also warnings about him but, according to what is known so far, his political statements were so confused that none of the security authorities’ patterns fitted him,” German justice minister Volker Wissing was quoted as telling the Funke newspaper group.
He said that Germany may have to “draw consequences for our security architecture” and that a serious debate about that will be needed, “but it’s still too early for that” as facts and questions remain open.
The country’s vice chancellor, Robert Habeck, voiced fears that the attack will fuel online misinformation ahead of a national election expected in late February.
He urged people to “take time for the truth” and said: “Don’t let yourselves be infected by hatred.”
“There is still a lot we don’t know and a lot is unexplained, including the exact motive,” Mr Habeck said in a video posted on Sunday.
“All the same, I fear that the distrust that was immediately propagated on the net against Muslims, foreigners and people with a history of immigration will entrench itself deeper in society”.
