German authorities received warnings last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas market that killed five people, officials have said.
Authorities have identified the suspect (50) in attack in the central city of Magdeburg as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency, living in the country for almost two decades.
Police have not publicly named him, in line with privacy rules, but some German news outlets have identified him as Taleb A, and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Munch, said in an interview on the German broadcaster ZDF that his office received a tip-off from Saudi Arabia in November 2023, which led authorities to open “appropriate investigative measures”.
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He added: “The man also published a huge number of posts on the internet. He also had contact with various authorities, made insults and even threats. However, he was not known to have committed acts of violence.” He said the warnings were very unspecific.
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said on social media site X it received a tip in late summer 2023. It said: “This was taken seriously, like every other of the numerous tips.”
The office highlighted it is not an investigative office and said it referred the information to the relevant authorities, following procedure in such cases.
The suspect faces charges of murder and attempted murder, police said on Sunday, after the man was remanded in custody.
A magistrate ordered the man into pretrial custody after prosecutors pressed charges of murder on five counts, multiple counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, according to a police statement.
It identified the dead as a nine-year-old boy and four adult women, aged 52, 45, 75 and 67.
Police in Magdeburg on Friday also reported scuffles at a far-right demonstration attended by around 2,100 people on Saturday night, while other residents took part in sombre remembrance events.
Police reported scuffles at a protest attended by around 2,100 people on Saturday night, one day after the attack. Right-wingers had billed the gathering on messaging app Telegram as a “demonstration against terror”.
Protesters wearing black balaclavas could be seen holding a large banner with the word 'remigration', a term popular with far-right supporters seeking the mass deportation of migrants and people deemed not ethnically German.
The motive in Friday night’s attack remains unclear. Investigators are examining the suspect’s criticism of German authorities’ treatment of Saudi refugees, among other things. He was also a staunch critic of Islam and had voiced support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on social media platform X.
AfD has been polling strongly amid a societal backlash against the large numbers of refugees and migrants who have arrived in Germany over the past decade.
Right-wing figures from across Europe have criticised German authorities for having allowed high levels of migration in the past, and for what they see as security failures now.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the deadly attack in Magdeburg as a “terrible, insane act”. He said there is “no place more peaceful and cheerful than a Christmas market,” where people go with friends and family to enjoy a Glühwein (hot punch) and seek some contemplation and joy.
A memorial service was held on Saturday in Magdeburg Cathedral with Mr Scholz and interior minister Nancy Faeser among the mourners. – Agencies