Attack Details and Victims

Prosecutors stated that Al-Abdulmohsen drove a rented BMW at speeds of up to 48km/h (30mph) through the crowded Christmas market on 20 December 2024; the attack occurred at 19:02 local time and lasted just one minute and four seconds.

Among those killed were a nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75. Around 300 others were injured in the incident. Al-Abdulmohsen was arrested immediately after the attack.

Motives and Background

Prosecutors said the attack was carefully planned and that Al-Abdulmohsen acted alone. They indicated that he was not motivated by ideological goals but acted primarily out of personal reasons. Chief Public Prosecutor Matthias Böttcher stated, “The defendant’s sole concern was, and remains, himself.”

A psychiatric expert described Al-Abdulmohsen as having narcissistic personality disorder and an overwhelming need for attention. Al-Abdulmohsen told the court he was motivated by conflicts with German authorities and was angry that the rights of Saudi women were being ignored.

He was granted asylum in Germany in 2016, claiming to face persecution in Saudi Arabia due to his criticism of Islam and the ruling family. According to the German Press Agency DPA, he is from the Shiite minority in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Officials said he had a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and far-right sympathies.

Work History and Appeal

Before the attack, Al-Abdulmohsen worked at a clinic in Bernburg as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He had been employed since 2020 in a secure psychiatric facility for people with addictions but was most recently registered as unfit for work.

Al-Abdulmohsen has the right to appeal the verdict. A temporary courthouse was erected in Magdeburg for his trial due to the large number of victims. Officials described him as an “untypical” attacker at the time of the incident.

Germany’s Christmas markets and festivals have been targeted before, mainly by extreme Islamists. Al-Abdulmohsen’s case, however, has been marked by his personal motivations and history of anti-Islamic views, distinguishing him from typical attackers in the region.