Four days before Christmas Eve, the Magdeburg Christmas market was bursting with life. The air smelled of roasted almonds and sausage; families sipped mulled wine, and children lined up for a carousel ride. No one noticed the black BMW X3 rolling slowly from Ernst-Reuter-Allee into the pedestrian zone. Behind the wheel sat a man with one purpose — to kill.
At 19:02 p.m. on December 20, 2024, the calm festive scene exploded into chaos. Within 64 seconds, six people lost their lives — five women and a child — and almost 300 others were injured, many of them seriously.
The attacker was Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old psychiatrist holding a Saudi Arabian passport. Once a licensed doctor in Germany, he turned his medical knowledge into a weapon.
The strange doctor everyone called “Dr Google”
Al-Abdulmohsen lived alone in a modest apartment in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, not far from the psychiatric facility where he worked with offenders suffering from addiction. Colleagues described him as distant and eccentric — a man who often searched online for medical answers during his shifts, earning him the nickname “Dr Google.”
He had long been regarded as unstable. Former coworkers in Hamburg remembered him as short-tempered and argumentative. Years earlier, he had even hinted at violent acts when challenged over an exam. Police records later revealed multiple complaints against him — ranging from threats and harassment to sexual assault allegations.
According to German authorities, his name appeared more than a hundred times in various databases, yet he continued to live freely. Despite his history of erratic behavior, he eventually obtained asylum in Germany and later permanent residency.
Years of warnings ignored
Over the years, al-Abdulmohsen’s anger grew darker. He posted messages online, mixing paranoia and rage, lashing out at governments, religions, and refugees alike. In one social-media post, he even wrote:
“Would you blame me if I killed 20 random Germans?”
The post triggered an investigation, but prosecutors dropped the case, ruling that it didn’t meet the definition of a criminal threat. Even after police visited him for a so-called “threat assessment,” he remained at large — his obsession quietly deepening.
The weapon: a rented SUV
In December 2024, he rented a black BMW X3 with 340 horsepower from a local agency. Investigators believe he deliberately disabled the collision-avoidance system, ensuring that the car would not automatically brake if it hit pedestrians.
He checked into a nearby hotel and spent days studying the Christmas market’s layout. That’s when he found the fatal loophole: a six-meter-wide emergency gap between concrete barriers, left open for ambulances but inadequately secured. There was no chain, no guards, and not even hooks to attach a barrier. It was, essentially, an open invitation.
64 seconds of terror
At 19:02, the BMW accelerated through that gap. Witnesses later recalled the horrifying noise of the engine roaring into the crowd. A 16-year-old boy was among the first struck. The SUV plowed forward, reaching 50 km/h, crushing market stalls and sending people flying.
Screams echoed through the square as the vehicle carved a 250-meter path of destruction. Blood, broken glass, panic — and then silence. By 19:05, police had cornered the car at a nearby intersection. The driver stepped out calmly, lay on the ground, and surrendered without resistance.
A child among the dead
The next morning, the names of the victims became public: four women aged between 45 and 75, and André, a nine-year-old boy visiting the market with his mother and brother on their last school day before the holidays. In early January, another woman succumbed to her injuries, raising the death toll to six.
Justice in a 4.5-million-euro courtroom
For the upcoming trial, beginning November 11, authorities built a temporary 65-meter courtroom costing 4.5 million euros to accommodate 450 co-plaintiffs and their lawyers. The proceedings will involve 410 witnesses, five experts, and dozens of video and photo exhibits.
The indictment runs over 200 pages, listing murder in six cases, attempted murder in 338, and serious bodily harm in 309.
“Not a terrorist act,” prosecutors say
Despite the scale of the carnage, investigators ruled that the attack was not driven by terrorism. A psychiatric evaluation concluded that al-Abdulmohsen acted out of personal frustration and revenge, not ideology.
Nevertheless, a parliamentary committee later exposed serious failures in the city’s safety planning. The security concept didn’t meet national standards — and experts agreed: this tragedy could have been prevented.
No one has yet faced disciplinary consequences.
