Saudi critic of Islam, fan of AfD and Elon Musk: disturbing details about the perpetrator of the Magdeburg attack

The driver killed in Magdeburg, Taleb Jawad Al Abdulmohsen, came to Germany in 2006. But he is not an Islamist - on the contrary. He accused Germany of Islamizing Europe.

After the suspected attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, there is little to suggest an Islamist motive so far. The driver of the car is Taleb Jawad Al Abdulmohsen. He first entered Germany in 2006 and was not identified as an Islamist by the security authorities.

In fact, he was apparently anything but a religious fanatic. On the contrary: he was apparently a radical critic of Islam, sympathized with the AfD - and Elon Musk. The 50-year-old worked as a doctor and psychiatrist in a psychiatric clinic in Bernburg, 50 kilometers south of Magdeburg. But he stopped coming to work a few weeks ago, the Tagesspiegel found out.

On his X account, his profile description read: “Germany hunts Saudi asylum seekers at home and abroad to destroy their lives. Germany wants to Islamize Europe.” His cover picture shows a rifle.

In a video, the man explained shortly before the attack on the Christmas market that he had been active as a refugee and asylum activist for several years. He also presented himself as an ex-Muslim critic of Islam.

The FAZ asked him in an interview in 2019: “Do you believe, despite all your experiences, that there can be an Islam in which women have equal rights?” He replied: “No, I don’t believe that. There is no good Islam.”

On Friday evening, a few hours before the attack, he posted several videos in which he said in English: “I hold the German nation responsible for the killing of Socrates.” In June, he accused the German police of being the “real driver of Islamism in Germany”.

“We need AfD to protect the police from themselves,” the alleged perpetrator went on to write. Die Welt reports on another tweet, which was apparently later deleted, in which he announced “retaliation”. He wrote: “I assure you that revenge will come 100 percent soon. Even if it costs me my life.” He continued: “Germany will have to pay the price. A huge price.”

He recently shared posts by Markus Haintz, a well-known Querdenken [= the German anti-Covid measures movement] activist. Al Abdulmohsen also expressed solidarity with the British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson. In another tweet from 2016, the man wrote: “Me and AfD are fighting the same enemy to protect Germany.” In August 2017, he posted: “I would like to prove in court that Islam is much worse than the plague.”

It was not until 15 December that an Islamophobic organization published statements by the psychiatrist. He accused Europe and Germany of welcoming jihadists in order to Islamize the West, while oppressing former Muslim refugees.

“In the background” it is about something ‘much bigger’, said Al Abdulmohsen in conspiracy theory style. “What Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson and others are saying is true.” Governments would use mass migration as a tool for destabilization. “It’s not about helping refugees - it’s about reshaping Western nations from within.”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)