Summary
The suspect in the deadly Christmas market car attack in Magdeburg, Germany, has been identified as Taleb A., a 50-year-old Saudi doctor and ex-Muslim who voiced Islamophobic views and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The attack killed five people and injured 200.
Authorities believe Taleb was motivated by anti-Islam sentiment, criticizing German tolerance toward Islamists and claiming the government targets Saudi asylum seekers.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed his Islamophobia but said further investigation is ongoing.
Taleb has also faced prior legal disputes over defamation.
The first two that spring to mind that committed acts of terrorism had at least some “logic”. Anders Breivik attacked government building and a political youth camp to punish the Labour Party which he blamed for immigration. Thomas Meir killed Jo Cox because she was pro immigration. Etc. I’m struggling to think of an act of right wing terrorism as nonsensical as what’s just happened in Germany…
Apparently he was wanted in Saudi (for actual violent crimes, not the benign stuff people usually get in trouble for like apostasy and drinking alcohol), and Germany denied extradition. So now he attacked the country that actually protected him. If they actually acted like he wanted immigration wise he would’ve been sent back.
Look, I try to not say this, so as to not sound like making excuses for non-islamic terrorists, but this guy sounds really mentally unwell…
That’s basically the case for all of these guys, there’s always a mental health element to this.
I disagree I’m afraid. I don’t think Anders Breivik was mentally ill, he was just wrong. Like Osama bin Laden, thinking quite clearly, but wrong.