Saudi Arabia previously warned Germany about attacker’s extremist views: Source

Saudi Arabia had previously warned German authorities about the extremist views of the suspect behind the Christmas market car-ramming incident after he made posts on his personal X account that threatened peace and security, a Saudi source told Reuters.

German authorities are investigating a Saudi doctor, arrested as the suspected driver of the car that rammed into a crowd at the market, with Der Spiegel magazine reporting he had sympathies with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The motive remained unclear and police have not yet named the suspect. He has been named in German media as Taleb A.

Germany’s FAZ newspaper said it interviewed the suspect in 2019, describing him as an anti-Islam activist.

“People like me, who have an Islamic background but are no longer believers, are met with neither understanding nor tolerance by Muslims here,” he was quoted as saying.

“I am history’s most aggressive critic of Islam. If you don’t believe me, ask the Arabs.”

The death toll in a car-ramming attack rose has risen five with more than 200 injured, many of them seriously, state premier Reiner Haseloff said on Saturday. A young child was among the dead.

Police said they arrested a 50-year-old from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany for almost two decades.

The man worked as a doctor in a nearby town, local officials said. Police searched his home overnight.

Der Spiegel reported that the suspect had sympathised with the AfD. The magazine did not say where it got the information.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk criticized Germany’s decision to not heed Saudi Arabia’s warning. In a post on X, Musk said the perpetrator should have been “extradited when Saudi Arabia made the request.”

Replying to another post calling out the German government for its “suicidal empathy,” Musk was agreeing with Shaun Maguire who is a partner at Sequoia Capital and a PhD scholar of Physics at California Institute of Technology.

Earlier today, a post from Musk on his platform X that only the far-right AfD party can “save Germany” sparked accusations that he was seeking to interfere in the country’s upcoming polls.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency was not immediately available for comment.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to visit Magdeburg later Saturday.

The attack comes at a time of heightened debate over migration and security in Germany, which is gearing up for a snap election on Feb. 23.

The AfD, currently polling in second place behind the conservative opposition, has led calls for a crackdown on migration to the country.

AfD chancellor candidate Alice Weidel condemned the attack and said on X, “The pictures from #Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and injured. When will this madness come to an end?”