The trial of a man accused of murdering six people and injuring hundreds of others at a German Christmas market has begun.
The suspect, named Taleb A in line with German privacy laws, is accused of driving a car through crowds at Magdeburg Christmas market on 20 December 2024.
Prosecutors say the attack that lasted just over a minute left five women aged between 45 and 75 years old and a nine-year-old boy dead.
During the rampage, which began at 7.02pm, the rented BMW reached speeds of up to 29mph (48kph) as it crashed into people enjoying the festivities on the final Friday before Christmas.
The Saudi doctor is accused of murdering six people and attempting to murder a further 338. He’s also charged with injuring 309 people.
Silence fell in court as the 51-year-old arrived for the first day of his trial.
Wearing a blue t-shirt and black top, his face covered with a long grey beard, he lifted a laptop to his lawyers.
The words #MagdeburgGate and September 2026 could be seen on the screen.
The trial is taking place in Magdeburg in a specially built courtroom, which reportedly cost millions to create for the case.
At the front is a dock enclosed in bulletproof glass for security. It’s here the defendant and his team of lawyers sit.
Looking straight at him are the co-plaintiffs and their representatives.
Hundreds of people are expected to take part in the case including 410 witnesses. Space has also been created for a hundred spectators and a hundred members of the media.
Security was tight as proceedings got under way, with police vans and heavy bollards blocking off roads surrounding the pop-up courthouse.
Inside, armed officers wearing balaclavas looked on as Magdeburg residents took their seats.
In a statement in August, prosecutors in Naumburg, in Saxony-Anhalt, said Taleb A was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack but allegedly acted out of “dissatisfaction and frustration… with the aim of killing as large a number as possible”.
At the time of his arrest, officials said he was an “untypical” attacker.
A refugee from Saudi Arabia, Taleb A described himself as an “ex-Muslim”, while the then interior minister alleged he was Islamophobic.
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His social media pages, which he posted on in the hours leading up to the attack, promoted anti-Islam views – and claimed Germany was allowing the “Islamisation of Europe”.
He also showed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AFD) suggesting they were both fighting to protect Germany.
The trial is currently scheduled to run until March.
If found guilty, Taleb A could face a life sentence.
