Man Who Rammed A Car Into Germany’s Bustling Christmas Market Hired The BMW: Reports

Magdeburg: The man, who according to German police rammed a car into a bustling Christmas market in Magdeburg killing two people and leaving 68 others injured, had reportedly hired the BMW used in the attack. The video of the attack, which authorities are treating as a terror attack, have gone viral on the social media.

German police arrested a 50-year-old doctor belonging to Saudi Arabia for the attack. According to reports, the man has been identified as Taleb A, an ex-Muslim, a harsh critic of Islam, and supports Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right German political party with an anti-immigration stance.

Know the accused

Taleb has been living in Germany since 2006. He is a resident of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Taleb was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He was born in the Saudi Arabian city of Hofuf in 1974. He had secured a permanent residence permit for Germany in 2006. In 2016, he was recognised as a refugee. He was incapable of expressing his atheist thoughts and views in Saudi Arabia, BBC reported.

He had also set up a website called wearesaudi.net to help ex-Muslims flee Saudi and other Gulf states. According to reports, he is wanted by Saudi Arabia on charges related to terrorism and smuggling girls from the Middle East to EU countries. Germany refused to extradite him previously to Saudi Arabia and granted him asylum.

What did the attack’s video show?

The CCTV footage, which has gone viral on social media, showed a black BMW driving through the Christmas market for over 400 metres, striking several people just after 7 pm (local time) on Friday.

Another video showed the suspect’s arrest. Police aimed their handguns at him and shouted, “Lie down, hands on your back, don’t move!.”