Response from Berlin

Political dimensions ahead of elections

Germany has been plunged into deep mourning after the attack on Magdeburg’s Christmas market on Friday, which left five dead and more than 200 injured. The revelations about the highly complex profile of the attacker are shocking.

At the same time, the numerous complaints against him for more than ten years in Germany in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2023, the continuous attacks of Saudi Arabia on the German authorities and the official classification of him as “non-dangerous” by the Federal Crime Prosecution Service raise reasonable questions about possible responsibilities of the authorities and put new pressure on the government in the midst of an election campaign.

Questions about security omissions and loopholes

The questions raised are many and serious. Why and on the basis of what criteria did the German authorities conclude in 2023 that the Magdeburg attacker, the 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist, was deemed “not dangerous”? How was he granted refugee status in 2016, when in 2013 he had been convicted and sentenced?

Also why has Germany refused to respond to Saudi Arabia’s constant requests for his extradition? How did his posts with clearly extremist content in plain view on social media escape the authorities’ radar when members of the Saudi exile and expatriate community had informed the authorities? Why did the German authorities in different cities and states not cooperate or exchange information sufficiently over the years?

At the same time, questions are also being raised regarding the security gaps in Magdeburg and more broadly the Christmas markets in Germany. Were the measures sufficient? How did the attacker easily manage to break in undisturbed by the emergency entrance? Had there been an assessment of the potential risks in advance, given that the intelligence services had warned of an “abstract risk” of attacks?

Political upheaval in Berlin

Indeed, this year’s holiday season in Germany is taking a different turn and will be anything but festive for the political leadership and representatives of all parties ahead of the February 23rd election.

On December 30, the Internal Affairs Committee of the German Parliament meets in an emergency, where a hearing will be held with the authorities in the country’s secret services. At the same time, the German sub. Interior Nancy Feser calls for the immediate revision of the law that governs the action of the Federal Police and also for the establishment of a new legislative framework to strengthen public security in Germany, e.g. introducing, among other things, biometric face and voice recognition checks, something he says the Social Democrats supported and the Liberals blocked in Olaf Solz’s government that collapsed.

At the same time, Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats, who are ahead in the polls, are again calling for a stricter immigration and asylum policy and for deportations at the German border. The fact that the Saudi attacker was granted refugee status in 2016 is something that the Christian Union parties are putting at the center of public debate.

And not only the parties of the Christian Union. The far-right Alternative for Germany is already shifting the election agenda from Germany’s poor economic situation, which until now was the dominant issue, to immigration and asylum.

On Monday afternoon, a large pre-election event of the AfD is expected with a speech by the party’s co-chair and chancellor candidate Alice Weidel in Magdeburg. It should be noted that in the state of Saxony-Anhalt where Magdeburg is located, the percentage of the AfD exceeds 30%.