Who is Taleb Abdulmohsen, the Magdeburg attacker: what we know about the anti-Islam activist who attacked the Christmas market in Germany

Taleb Abdulmohsen, the Magdeburg attacker who killed at least 5 people, presents a “chaotic” profiledefinition by French experts to describe individuals who mix ideologies, personal “springs” and capable of carrying out violent actions.

Not only that. Tests revealed that he had taken drugs before his “mission”. Saudi, 50 years old, arrived in Germany in 2006 and holds a permanent residence permit, the arrested person is a doctor specialized in psychiatry and psychotherapy at the clinic in Bernburg (Saale).

From this clinic, Magdeburg and its Christmas market are approximately 46 kilometers away. Bernburg, a small city of about 32,000 people, is also Taleb's residence. According to the media, he also worked in the forensic service which deals with prisoners with addiction problems.

In his past there would be no contacts with radical circles and he would not have raised suspicions. Indeed, in an interview given in 2019 to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he declared himself a critic of Islam: «I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history»he had stated.

Abdulmohsen said he had distanced himself from Islam, adding: «This is why I was threatened: they wanted to “slaughter” me if I returned to Saudi Arabia. So I decided to ask for asylum in Germany. It would have been senseless to expose myself to the risk of returning and then being killed.” Furthermore, he allegedly created an online platform to help Saudi women apply for asylum in Germany. There are also reports of an alleged report by Riyadh about him to the Germans but, as for the rest, there is no confirmation.

An alleged profile on X attributable to Taleb shows him as a critic of Islam and author of conspiracy theories about Germany. Among the sentences reported are: «Germany chases Saudi asylum seekers in and out of the country to destroy their lives» and «Germany wants to Islamize Europe». One of his profile pictures depicts a submachine gun with the words “USA” written on it. He also shared content praising the AfD and its stance on Islam, along with a doctored image of former Chancellor Angela Merkel holding a sign reading: “I destroyed Europe.” .

The testimony of Nora Abdulkarim, an American-Saudi activist, who claims to have met Taleb in 2017 is interesting because he was following the case of a woman forcibly repatriated to Riyadh: «He seemed aggressive, self-centered, paranoid, unstable, with dubious methods…He himself had told me about legal disputes with German courts.” In a message posted on December 14 – adds the activist – the doctor writes: «If I am murdered, the Germans will be responsible and if they blame Daesh it is a lie. In nine years I have never received threats from them (Isis, ed.), but rather from sympathizers of the Saudi government.” While in a sort of manifesto published in November the doctor indicated his requests, among these the fight against illegal immigration and measures against the interference of security in the management of refugees, with accusations of abuse and corruption. A mix of themes from which a lot of antagonism emerges.

In a video released minutes after the deadly incident, a man introducing himself as Taleb A., a doctor and psychiatrist working in Germany, confusingly claims that critics of Islam are “actively and criminally” persecuted in Germany. According to a further video interview that appeared on an Islamophobic US blog, reported by Spiegel, Taleb A. accuses the German state of conducting a secret operation to “hunt down and destroy the lives” of former Saudi Muslims around the worldwhile it would welcome Syrian jihadists. And in posts on social media he expressed sympathy for the American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Elon Musk and the British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.

These are scattered aspects that must be analyzed in depth by investigators to find confirmation of the possible matrix and prudence is also needed in evaluating what the attacker expressed. There is nothing official, at the moment they are just ideas around a figure that needs to be “studied”. Taleb may truly be an opponent of Islam or he may be a man agitated by many forces in a confusing situation. Or, again, a killer who disguised his real beliefs (a simulator). A lone wolf who emulated the jihadists by targeting a Christmas market and using the auto-ram. And this picture unfortunately fuels speculation, suspicions of maneuvers to cover the truth, controversies in Germany and abroad. Taleb knew that the chosen target would raise the tone even more towards foreigners, migrants and the Islamic presence. And he has already partially succeeded.

While waiting for clear answers from the investigators we can establish three points. 1) The use of the vehicle against the crowd is a tactic employed not only by the followers of al Qaeda or the Caliphate who have transformed it from Nice to Berlin into a devastating weapon. 2) The profile of a mass murderer may appear less clear, even if he acts for an ideological motive. This was seen in some episodes in France where the attackers were Islamic but “activated” by different reasons, often personal and sometimes a consequence of instability. The link with an organization arrives only after the massacre and in certain cases – as in Nice – it cannot be found on an investigative level even if the parent company then claims responsibility. 3) There is a growing trend where a citizen, without having a precise political agenda, behaves like a terrorist. And each attack forces the investigator to do further sifting to understand who the perpetrator really is. Especially in countries, like Germany, bloodied by repeated attacks over a long period of time.

December 21, 2024 (changed December 21, 2024 | 12:50)

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