A German court has sentenced a Saudi psychiatrist to life in prison for driving his car into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing six people, including a 9-year-old boy, and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest attacks in recent years.The attack occurred on December 20, 2024, when the man, Taleb A., drove a rented BMW through the festival market. Prosecutors said the attack lasted just over a minute but caused widespread damage, Sky News reported.The victims included five women aged between 45 and 75, as well as 9-year-old Andre Gleissner. Hundreds of people were also injured in the incident.Taleb A., a Saudi-born psychiatrist who has lived in Germany since 2006, was found guilty of six counts of murder and attempted murder of hundreds of people.The defendant openly expressed anti-Islamic views, supported far-right ideology, and frequently posted online about what he described as the “Islamization of Europe.”The trial took place in a purpose-built courtroom, with Taleb A. appearing inside a bulletproof glass enclosure for security reasons. While he apologized to the nine-year-old victim’s family during the proceedings, he has also repeatedly made political statements on immigration and other issues.Among those who gave evidence was survivor Phillip Peplau, a trainee paramedic who was injured in the attack. He told Sky News that the festive atmosphere turned to chaos in seconds. “It was four days until Christmas. There were a lot of kids and families there. And then, within a second, there was blood, pain, screaming and crying everywhere,” he said.Peplau told the court he helped treat several victims at the scene, including trying to revive a woman who later died.
