Suspect in deadly Magdeburg Christmas market car ramming attack goes on trial

The suspect in the December 2024 Christmas market car ramming attack in Magdeburg that killed six people including a child went on trial Monday in a specially constructed high-security courtroom.

The accused, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, sat in a secure glass box with masked judicial officers wearing bulletproof vests as the trial opened at 9:30 am.

According to local media, dozens of lawyers and co-plaintiffs were to follow the proceeding in an otherwise "astonishingly empty" courtroom.

The defendant used media attention to display changing messages on his laptop screen before and after proceedings began, with "Sept. 2026" possibly referencing next year's state elections. The meaning of other messages remained unclear.

The suspect was brought to Magdeburg by helicopter in the morning and escorted to the court in a motorcade.

Aggressive online presence turned into act of violence

According to the indictment, the 50-year-old Saudi Arabian psychiatrist with German residency since 2006, Al Abdulmohsen drove through the Magdeburg Christmas market on 20 December 2024, zigzagging at speeds up to 48 kilometres per hour.

In addition to the six people killed, another 323 were injured in the attack.

The suspect worked as a specialist at Salus Clinic in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt, employed in the psychiatric ward for addicts since 2020. He was most recently on sick leave.

Research by media outlets and ongoing investigations indicate Al Abdulmohsen has voiced extreme views on social networks, vocally attacking the German state, Islam and Saudi Arabia, as well as the likes of a secular refugee organisation in Cologne. He also ran a website promising to help people flee his native country.

Al Abdulmohsen acted "predominantly out of personal motives," Der Spiegel reported, citing investigative sources.

The suspect sent an eight-page letter to the public prosecutor's office justifying the attack and formulating new threats, according to Volksstimme. He stated he would "attack the Christmas market again" if given the opportunity. Handwriting comparison confirmed the letter's authenticity.

A temporary court building was erected especially for the proceedings. The complex covers around 4,700 square metres, the actual courtroom measures around 2,000 square metres and can accommodate up to 700 people.

The trial is expected to continue for several months under high security measures.