A German court has sentenced a Saudi man to life in prison for driving a car into a crowded Christmas market in 2024, an attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg that killed six people and injured more than 300.
The state court in Magdeburg ruled on June 26 that Taleb al-Abdulmohsen’s guilt was “particularly serious”, a finding that would block his release after the 15 years usually applied to life sentences in Germany.
Abdulmohsen, 51, came to Germany from Saudi Arabia in 2006 and later worked as a psychiatrist at a clinic near Magdeburg, treating offenders held in compulsory care. He was granted political asylum in 2016.
On December 20, 2024, he drove a rented sport utility vehicle through the market at speeds of up to 48 kilometres an hour, killing five women and a nine-year-old boy. A sixth victim, a woman hurt in the attack, died weeks later, and dozens of others were seriously injured.
Prosecutors had charged him with six counts of murder and 338 of attempted murder. His trial opened in November 2025 and heard about 100 witnesses, with more than 200 survivors and bereaved relatives represented in the proceedings.
Abdulmohsen admitted driving the vehicle but denied that he had deliberately targeted anyone. Prosecutors said he had acted out of a grievance against German authorities and a refugee organisation he had unsuccessfully sued.
During the months-long hearing he showed no remorse and gave rambling statements about religion and German politics, some of which prompted victims to leave the courtroom.
Federal prosecutors had classified the killings as a rampage rather than an act of terrorism. An anti-Islam activist and ex-Muslim, Abdulmohsen had repeatedly attacked Germany’s asylum policy online and voiced support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Saudi Arabia had warned German security services about him repeatedly in 2023 and 2024, describing him as a danger to the public. German police assessed him during that period but concluded he posed “no significant danger”.
The case revived memories of the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack, in which an Islamist drove a lorry into crowds, killing 12 people. It also deepened a national debate over migration and security ahead of Germany’s February 2025 federal election.
