Key facts
- Taleb al Abdulmohsen, a 51-year-old Saudi doctor, was convicted of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder.
- He received a life sentence for a car-ramming attack on a Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20, 2024.
- Six people, including a nine-year-old boy and five women, were killed.
- Approximately 300 others were injured in the attack.
- The court found the defendant's guilt to be 'particularly serious,' impacting parole eligibility.
- Prosecutors stated the attack was planned in advance and motivated by personal reasons, not ideology.
A Saudi doctor, Taleb al Abdulmohsen, has been sentenced to life in prison for a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, 2024. The court found the 51-year-old guilty of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder, imposing the maximum sentence due to the particularly serious nature of his guilt, which will affect parole eligibility.
Prosecutors stated that Al-Abdulmohsen drove a BMW X3 at speeds up to 48 km/h through the crowded market, killing a nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75. Around 300 others were injured in the incident. He was arrested immediately after the attack.
Investigators concluded that Al-Abdulmohsen planned the attack well in advance and acted alone, motivated primarily by personal reasons rather than serious ideological goals. A psychiatric expert noted he had narcissistic personality disorder and a need for attention. Al-Abdulmohsen told the court his actions were fueled by conflicts with German authorities and anger over the treatment of Saudi women's rights.
Al-Abdulmohsen, who was granted asylum in Germany, was employed as a psychiatrist at a secure psychiatric hospital for mentally ill offenders in Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt.