Right-wing extremist disinformation about the attack in Magdeburg

After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, right-wing extremists spread numerous false claims on social networks. International actors also got involved.

Five perpetrators, a bomb allegedly planted at the Christmas market, and supposedly 34 dead: all of these claims were spread on social networks shortly after the attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg. And according to the current state of the investigation, all of them are wrong.

Right-wing extremist circles in particular quickly attempted to use the act politically and to fuel the mood with false allegations. At the forefront is the right-wing extremist Austrian Martin Sellner, who, among other things, wrote numerous posts about Magdeburg in his Telegram channel before any information was even published by official bodies.

False information about the origin of the perpetrator

Sellner and many other actors from the right-wing spectrum, for example, claimed immediately after the crime that the alleged perpetrator was a Syrian. Some accounts painted the picture that it was a refugee who came to Germany in the wake of the 2015/16 asylum crisis. Wide-reaching channels from abroad with a right-wing agenda also adopted this false narrative to incite against Islam and the policies of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The police announced yesterday evening that the arrested suspect was a 50-year-old man who came from Saudi Arabia and came to Germany in 2006. He is said to have most recently worked as a doctor in the field of psychotherapy in Saxony-Anhalt.

According to current information, he was not known to the authorities as an Islamist. He has had asylum status as a political refugee since 2016. According to his own statements, he is said to have renounced Islam at the end of the 1990s and is considered an opposition figure to the Saudi Arabian royal family.

The suspect's alleged X account contains Islamophobic content as well as posts that are explicitly against Merkel and her asylum policy. “Merkel would have to spend the rest of her life in prison as punishment for her secret criminal project to Islamize Europe,” he said in a post.

Fears are fueled False claims

Sellner and Co. also spread other alarming content, suggesting that it was not just a perpetrator. Among other things, he shared a graphic saying that there were five perpetrators, three of whom were still on the run. “There is probably more planned,” it says, in order to stir up fears. There is also talk of a bomb being placed at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. All of this contradicts the official findings.

According to Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff, the current state of the investigation indicates that the attacker was a lone perpetrator. According to current estimates, there is no further danger for the city.

Exaggeration of the number of victims

Shortly after the crime became known, the actors outbid each other with the information about the people killed. That evening, an AfD member of parliament also reported that there had been eleven deaths. Sellner even wrote in a post about 34 deaths. This also does not correspond to the official information.

The police said on Friday evening that there were two dead and at least 60 injured. On Saturday the number rose to five dead and at least 200 injured.

Right-wing extremist accounts also re-uploaded old videos in the wrong context. Among other things, videos of the celebrations of Syrian refugees in Germany after the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad were re-uploaded with the claim that the people were celebrating the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg.

Incorrect quote from Steinmeier

An alleged quote from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spread on social networks. The Federal President's alleged post on The post goes on to say: “Open borders contribute to security.”

Many people shared the screenshot of the post with angry words directed at the Federal President and the government. In reality, this is not Steinmeier's official account, but rather a satirical account. The post has since been deleted. Nevertheless, the screenshot of the posting continues to spread.

On his official Instagram account, Steinmeier wrote, among other things, that his thoughts are with the victims and their relatives and that he would like to thank all rescue workers for their efforts.

Anti-Israel circles are also getting involved

The fact that events such as attacks on social networks are directly misused for political goals and are fueled with false allegations is a classic method of disinformation. While right-wing extremist circles are exploiting the Magdeburg crime to incite hatred against Islam and refugees, there are also other examples from other groups.

Immediately after the attack, it was said in some anti-Israel circles that it was a so-called false flag operation by the Israeli secret service to supposedly strengthen the West's support for Israel by attributing the crime to an Islamist would be attributed.

In Turkish nationalist circles, accounts spread false claims that Kurdish militias were behind the attack in response to Germany's alleged support for Turkey in Syria.

Check sources on social networks

After rampages, attacks or serious accidents, false reports are always spread on social networks. This is partly because such situations are not clear at first, people quickly look for information and orientation – and there are often many pictures or videos of alleged eyewitnesses in circulation. This is repeatedly exploited to deliberately misinform.

There is no magic formula for identifying disinformation. Basically, the source is an important indicator of whether images or information are trustworthy or not. News agencies such as dpa, AFP or AP are considered trustworthy sources because they check the material before publication. After attacks like the one in Magdeburg, official bodies such as the police are relevant as sources with a view to the number of victims or information about the suspected perpetrator.