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Saudi Doctor Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2024 German Christmas Market Attack
A Saudi doctor identified as Taleb A. received a life sentence on June 26 for killing six people and injuring more than 300 others in a car attack at a Magdeburg Christmas market. The December 2024 incident lasted one minute and four seconds and had been planned for weeks.
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A Saudi doctor identified as Taleb A. was sentenced to life in prison on June 26 for killing six people and injuring more than 300 others by driving a rented BMW into crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. The attack took place on December 20, 2024.
Five women aged 45 to 75 and one nine-year-old boy died. Prosecutors said the assault lasted one minute and four seconds and had been planned over several weeks. They charged Taleb A. with six counts of murder and the attempted murder of hundreds more.
A psychiatrist granted asylum in Germany in 2006, has a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and far-right sympathies, according to officials. He had been a critic of the Saudi government's political and religious policies and had clashed with German authorities over support for Saudi dissidents.
During the trial, Taleb A. Described himself as an ex-Muslim and apologized to the family of the boy he killed. He admitted driving the car through the market but denied deliberately striking people. One forensic expert labeled him a narcissist.
Prosecutors said his testimony lacked logical consistency.
