A Saudi doctor has been sentenced to life in prison for a deadly car attack on a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, where six people were killed and hundreds injured days before Christmas in 2024.
The defendant, identified under German privacy laws as Taleb A., was found guilty on Friday after prosecutors accused him of deliberately driving a rented BMW into crowds at the market in an attack that lasted one minute and four seconds.
Suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a doctor from Saudi Arabia who faces charges of murder, attempted murder and dangerous interference with road traffic, is escorted by security officers as he attends his trial for the Magdeburg Christmas market attack, at a regional court in Magdeburg, Germany, June 26, 2026. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
The attack shocked Germany and intensified public debate over immigration and security ahead of the country’s February 2025 general election.
Prosecutors said the psychiatrist, originally from Saudi Arabia, planned the attack over several weeks and acted alone. The victims included five women aged between 45 and 75, as well as a nine-year-old boy.
Authorities described Taleb A. as having a history of anti-Islamic statements and far-right sympathies. Prosecutors said his actions were linked to frustration over the outcome of a civil law dispute and unsuccessful criminal complaints.
He had been charged with six counts of murder and the attempted murder of hundreds of people following the rampage at the historic market.
