Memorable start to the amok trial Magdeburg driver of death: "I was at the wheel"
Painful details and confused words: The trial for the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg has begun in Germany. The accused talked a lot without really saying anything.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Six dead and more than 300 injured: almost a year after the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, the trial against the alleged perpetrator has begun.
- The prosecution painted a detailed picture of the horror.
- The accused did not really comment on the accusations.
In the trial for the Christmas market attack, the driver of the Magdeburg death admitted to being at the wheel. "I am the one who drove the car," said Taleb al-Abdulmohsen in Magdeburg District Court. He did not initially provide any further details. There was no apology, no sign of remorse.
Almost eleven months after the attack, the trial has begun against the now 51-year-old who, according to the indictment, "purposefully" rammed, hurled or ran over Christmas market visitors with a 340 hp car. A nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75 died. More than 300 other people were injured.
The first day of the trial was memorable.
Motionless in the glass box
The accused was taken from the prison to Magdeburg by helicopter. For security reasons, he is to be flown to each of the trial days, of which 50 are scheduled.
The accused held up a laptop to photographers, with "#MagdeburgGate" and "Sept. 2026" written on the screen. It was initially unclear what this meant. Outwardly motionless, the man with a long, mottled gray beard then followed the reading of the indictment in his glass box.
The defence lawyer unsuccessfully criticized the seating behind bulletproof glass. Presiding judge Dirk Sternberg emphasized that the seat was important to protect the defendant.
Detailed description of the horror
Senior public prosecutor Matthias Böttcher and his colleague from the public prosecutor's office then described the course of the crime in detail in court, naming each victim by name, describing fractures, internal injuries, open wounds and hospital treatment. Six people did not survive their serious injuries.
al-Abdulmohsen "acted with the intention of killing an unspecified, large number of people", says senior prosecutor Böttcher. According to the prosecution, he did it out of frustration and dissatisfaction with the outcome of legal disputes and the unsuccessfulness of his own criminal charges. The investigation yielded no evidence of an act of terrorism.
al-Abdulmohsen, in a blue shirt, dark jacket and with a gray beard, follows the arraignment from a box, apparently unmoved. The general public prosecutor's office in Naumburg accuses the doctor, who comes from Saudi Arabia, of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder.
Long story short, no point at all
The trial is one of the biggest in German post-war history. Numerous media representatives from Germany and abroad traveled to Magdeburg for the start of the trial.
In total, more than 170 victims joined the proceedings as joint plaintiffs, but only a few spread out at the 17 long rows of tables in the hall at the start of the trial. They look touched, many are still suffering from their mental and physical wounds to this day. A couple hold each other in their arms.
They had to witness how the accused spoke for more than an hour and a half. Without apology, without any sign of remorse. Instead, with a tearful voice and a handkerchief in front of his face, he talked about alleged police cover-ups and criticized the media. Otherwise, he strung together political and religious topics, throwing names like Voltaire and Merkel into the room.
Once again, he holds up his laptop, which reads "Sept. 2026". "That's the next political election in Saxony-Anhalt," explained the defendant, who is known to the authorities as a critic of Islam. A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, 2026.
Those affected by the death drive looked stunned. Some turned away, others shook their heads. Some left the hall.
