Analysis Magdeburg | Daily Gazette

A man of Saudi origin races through a German Christmas market in a rented BMW, clearly trying to kill as many people as possible: At first glance, the weapon and the religious background of the Magdeburg attacker were obvious to most observers on an Islamist motif.

But as soon as media outlets like “Spiegel” and “Welt” found the alleged name of the assassin and began searching through his accounts on various social media, it turned out that the opposite was probably the case: the perpetrator, whose name was included Taleb A. is said to have been an ex-Muslim with sympathies for right-wing critics of Islam and right-wing extremist Islam-haters. And a person who apparently recently saw the German state, which offered him asylum from Islamists, not as his protector, but as an Islamist agitator and mortal enemy.

Taleb A. came to Germany in 2006 as part of his training as a psychiatric specialist. He turned away from his Muslim faith and was threatened with death by Muslims after this became known. For this reason, he applied for asylum in Germany and received a permanent residence permit in 2016. According to “Welt”, he most recently worked in Bernburg, around 50 kilometers south of Magdeburg. As a psychiatrist, he looked after addicts who had committed criminal offenses in the prison system of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“Who else is fighting Islam in Germany?”

Since 2016, in his free time he has been committed to helping other Muslims who wanted to turn their backs on Islam or had already done so. In particular, he advised Saudi women on how to apply for asylum in Germany. He has posted thousands of posts on social media over the past eight years; his account has 130,000 tweets on X alone. He expressed radical criticism of Islam and sought out like-minded people.

According to “Spiegel”, he showed particular sympathy for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). As early as 2016, he wrote that he wanted to start a project together with the AfD: an academy for ex-Muslims. When a user asked why he planned to do this with the AfD of all people, he replied: “Who else is fighting Islam in Germany?” He regularly disseminated contributions from the party, including from Alice Weidel, the current candidate for chancellor. According to “Spiegel”, several well-known party officials followed him.

Taleb A. also raved about Alex Jonesone of the most radical conspiracy tellers in the USA, for the British right-wing activist Tommy Robinsonfor the right-wing tech billionaire Elon Musk or for French right-wing extremists who are calling for the “remigration” of Muslims from Europe. According to “Spiegel”, A. said in an interview that what these and other people said in the traditional media as radicals or right-wing extremists was nothing but “the truth”. Of course, he doesn't see himself as a right-winger, but as a left-winger.

“The German police are the real drivers of Islamism”

If you take Taleb A.'s rumored statements on social media seriously, he seems to have increasingly fantasized himself into hostility towards the German state in recent months. He accused former German Chancellor Angela Merkel of implementing the plan to Islamize Europe with her open border policy.

According to “Welt”, Taleb A. accused Germany of “hunting down Saudi asylum seekers in order to destroy their lives”. The German state, especially its police, is the real driver of Islamism in Germany. A. felt persecuted by the state, including stealing a data stick from his mailbox. «The government is criminal instead of protecting me. The police are the criminals,” he said in a video.

An They were subsequently deleted. According to this user, A. already announced retaliation for the alleged persecution by the German state in a tweet from December 2023. «I assure you that 100 percent revenge will come soon. Even if it costs my life. Germany will have to pay the price. A huge price.”

In May 2024, he posted on X according to “Welt” in English: “I seriously expect to die this year. Reason: I will ensure justice at all costs. And the German authorities are blocking all peaceful paths to justice.” In Arabic he wrote about the “implementation” of an “operation”. “I assure you: If Germany wants war, we will have it. If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die or proudly go to prison.”

It seems as if Taleb A. put his revenge fantasy into action on Friday evening in Magdeburg.

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