A nine-year-old boy killed in an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg has been named by his family. Andre Gleissner was described as a “little teddy bear” by his mother.
The suspect in the horrifying attack is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, named by German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, who reportedly drove a BMW hire car at speed into crowds attending the Magdeburg Christmas market on Friday evening. He arrived in Germany in 2006, and in 2016 was recognised as a refugee.
German police have confirmed those killed were four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, and a nine-year-old boy, now named as Andre Gleissner.
They said that a further 200 people were injured, including 41 who are said to be in a serious condition.
In a social media post, Desiree Gleissner said her nine-year-old son Andre didn’t do “anything to anybody”.
“Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. Andre didn’t do anything to anybody. He was only with us on earth for nine years. Why you? Just why? I don’t understand,” she wrote on Facebook.
“Now you are with grandma and grandpa in heaven, they missed you very much …. as much as we miss you here now, you will always live in our hearts…. I promise you that,” she added.
A tribute on a fundraising page, which was set up by a friend of Andre’s mother, reads: “André was looking forward to Christmas so much. He wanted to spend the last Advent weekend with his family at the Magdeburg Christmas market.”
“But that day ended in unbelievable tragedy: André was the victim of the terrible attack on the Christmas market and will never be able to unwrap his presents.”
The page describes the nine-year-old’s “cheerful smile” and “joy of life”, saying he “leaves a big gap in the hearts of his family, friends and all those who knew him”.
Meanwhile, the German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, has promised a full investigation after it emerged that the suspect had been the subject of police investigations previously – and that Saudi Arabian authorities had send warnings to their German counterparts regarding “the very extreme views” held by al-Abdulmohsen.
The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, told public broadcaster ZDF that his office had received a notice from Saudi Arabia in November 2023. He said local police took appropriate investigative measures, but the matter was unspecific, BBC reported.
He added that the suspect “had various contacts with authorities, insulted them and even made threats, but he was not known for violent acts”.
Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said the motive behind the attack appeared to be “dissatisfaction with the treatment of refugees from Saudi Arabia and how they are being treated in Germany”, SKY News said – adding that the suspect promoted “anti-Islam” views.