Response from Berlin

Concern about neo-Nazi activity in the area.

The case of Magdeburg takes on new dimensions after the bloody attack on the Christmas Market last Friday. This time, at the center of the investigations are possible criminal responsibilities of the police and the municipal authority of Magdeburg, after a related complaint was filed and confirmed by the minister. Interior of the state responding to the public network ZDF.

First, the question arises as to why there was not a police vehicle at a predetermined point at the emergency entrance, as it should have been. According to police sources cited by the local MDR network, the investigations so far seem to confirm the information that there was no police guard at the point from which the 50-year-old perpetrator entered with the rented car.

What applies to all Christmas Shopping

At the same time, the overall security plan for the Christmas Market, which had to be approved by the city council, is also under the microscope. The key question is whether all possible risks were taken into account and of course whether the safety measures were sufficient.

According to the security plans for Christmas Markets across Germany, they will have to be protected by special bollards against attacks by trucks or other vehicles. Also, even emergency exits or the entrance of rescue crews must be guarded by a police van.

For its part, the Magdeburg police made public the exact murder path that the 50-year-old attacker from Saudi Arabia took with the BMW, as a first response for reasons of transparency to the accusations leveled against her in recent days.

Controversy about neo-Nazi activity

At the same time, the authorities are looking into the marches of far-right and neo-Nazi circles in Magdeburg last weekend. On Saturday, around 3,000 neo-Nazis arrived in Magdeburg from various cities, shouting banned Nazi slogans and causing fear on the streets and on train routes.

The same picture continued on Monday, on the sidelines of the far-right AfD’s major election rally, with 3,500 members and supporters of the party chanting slogans in favor of mass deportations.

At the same time, the presence of an organized group of neo-Nazis was evident again, and they tried with violence to block the peaceful march in memory of the victims, with around 7,000 participants.