A Saudi doctor goes on trial in Germany on Monday, accused of driving an SUV through a Christmas market in Magdeburg on December 20th last year.
The attack killed six people, including a nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75, and wounded over 300 others.
Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, a psychiatrist, was arrested near the damaged vehicle after the incident.
According to a statement from prosecutors Abdulmohsen, who has been living in Germany since 2006, acted alone with the intention of killing “as many people as possible”. They say he acted out of “unhappiness and frustration” over the outcome of several legal proceedings
Security services have faced questions about whether the attack could have been prevented, given Abdulmohsen’s history of extreme rhetoric and violent threats.
He faces six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder. Due to the large number of victims and witnesses, the trial is being held in a specially built temporary hall, as no existing courtroom in Saxony-Anhalt can accommodate it. Abdulmohsen will be seated in a bulletproof booth.
The trial is expected to last until at least March. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.
