The attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, in which two people, including a child, were killed and 68 others were injured, was carried out by 50-year-old psychologist Taleb al-Abdulmohsen. He drove his car into a crowd of people.
Who is he?
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was born in the Saudi city of Hofuf, and came to Germany in 2006 during his specialization in psychotherapy. He later sought asylum due to death threats after leaving Islam, and was granted political refugee status in 2016. He lived in Bernburg and was known as an expert in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
As the Daily Mail writes, his past is marked by activism aimed at helping ex-Muslims, especially women, fleeing Saudi Arabia. He ran the website wearesaudis.net, dedicated to providing information on “escape routes” for people who wanted to leave Saudi Arabia. In an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau in 2019, he said that most of his clients are women for whom asylum is the only way to escape dependence on male guardians.
Criticized Islam, supported right-wingers and conspiracy theorists
His social media posts indicate strong anti-Islamic views. In his He has posted posts criticizing Islam and expressing support for the German far-right AfD party, as well as Elon Musk and right-wingers like Tommy Robinson and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
He has retweeted content such as graphic videos, including the stoning of women, and comments such as: “Can you find anything positive about Islam ?”
Five days before the attack, he gave an interview to the right-wing platform RAIR Foundation, in which he claimed that Germany favors Syrian refugees, including Islamists, while rejecting Saudi apostates fleeing Sharia death sentences. In that interview, he stated that “only 70% of Saudi citizens are granted asylum, while the figure for Syrian citizens is 99.8%.
“If a Syrian citizen applies for asylum in Germany, the chances of being granted asylum are 99.8%. But if a Saudi citizen applies for asylum in Germany, the chance is only 70%, and I personally know that many of those rejected are former Muslims.
Germany welcomes Syrians – including many Islamists – while rejecting Saudi apostates, people who are genuinely fleeing the death penalty under Sharia law,” he said is.
He claimed that German authorities were opening his mail
In videos released hours before the attack, Al-Abdulmohsen claimed that German authorities were opening his mail and stealing items, including USB sticks. “German citizens are responsible for the persecution I am being subjected to. The German nation is criminally persecutes critics of Islam,” he said in a video.
His views on social media also include support for far-right politicians and activists. He retweeted statements such as: “Leftists are crazy. We need the AfD to protect the police from them” and “Tyranny is based on the submission of cowards. I choose to be brave.”
