MOURNERS HAVE LAID flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack in the German city of Madgeburg as investigators continue to puzzle over the motive of the suspect and fears swirl that the rampage could deepen divisions in German society.
The Johanniskirche, a church a short walk from the scene of the attack, has become a central place of mourning since the suspect drove a car into the busy market on Friday evening, killing five people and injuring 200 others. A carpet of flowers now covers the broad pavement in front of the church.
Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency status. They say he does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks.
The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
A picture has emerged of someone who had come to authorities’ attention in the past for threatening behaviour and been the subject of tip-offs, but was not known to have committed any violence.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Sunday that “the views and statements that the perpetrator expressed are being investigated, as are the tipoffs and proceedings with various authorities and the justice system”.
She said “the right conclusions” will then have to be drawn.
The country’s vice chancellor Robert Habeck voiced fears that the attack will fuel online misinformation ahead of a national election expected in late February.
He urged people to “take time for the truth” and said: “Don’t let yourselves be infected by hatred.”
“There is still a lot we don’t know and a lot is unexplained, including the exact motive,” Habeck said in a video posted on Sunday.
“All the same, I fear that the distrust that was immediately propagated on the net against Muslims, foreigners and people with a history of immigration will entrench itself deeper in society”.
Disinformation about the suspect’s identity was spread online immediately after the news of the attack broke, with many social media users falsely claiming he was a Syrian asylum seeker, or that he was animated by jihadist beliefs.
Far-right political leaders in Europe, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Dutch Party of Freedom leader Geert Wilders and French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, all released statements blaming the attack on immigration policy and in Le Pen’s case, on Islam.
“Once again, Islamist barbarity is sowing terror in the heart of Europe. This act of war against a symbol of our civilisation is heartbreaking,” Le Pen said.
On Sunday night, police in the port city of Bremerhaven said they detained a man who threatened crimes at a Christmas market there in a TikTok video.
German news agency dpa reported that he had said he would stab any people of Arabic appearance there on Christmas Day.
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has held a “memorial” event and march in central Magdeburg this evening.
“Terror has arrived in our city,” said the AfD’s leader in Saxony-Anhalt state, Jan Wenzel Schmidt, condemning what he labelled the “monstrous political failure” that led up to the attack, over which a Saudi man was arrested.
“We must close the borders,” he told hundreds of supporters of the anti-immigration party. “We can no longer take in madmen from all over the world.”
The party’s co-leader Alice Weidel demanded “change so we can finally live in security again”, as people in the crowd chanted: “Deport, deport, deport!”
Weidel alleged on X that the attack “would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration”.
“The state must protect citizens through a restrictive migration policy and consistent deportations!” added Weidel, whose party is polling at around 20% but has been shunned as a pariah by all other mainstream parties.
An anti-extremist initiative called “Don’t Give Hate a Chance” held a rally at the same time, near the city’s Johannis church.
The group said in a message that “we are all shocked and angry to see that people want to exploit this cruel act for their own political ends” and called for “tolerance and humanity”.
With reporting from AFP and Press Association
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