A mother has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her « little teddy bear » nine-year-old son who was killed along with five others after a suspect drove a car into a crowd at a packed Christmas market.
Little André Gleißner died in the horrendous attack, along with five women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, after they were mown down by a BMW which was driven at speed into people enjoying seasonal festivities in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday night.
More than 200 people were also injured in the heinous atrocity just after 7pm, which German authorities allege was carried out by Saudi immigrant Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a doctor specialising in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
Al-Andulmohsen, 50, has now been been charged with five counts of murder and several counts of attempted murder.
Writing about her son, André’s mother Désirée posted a tribute on Facebook. She wrote: « Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. André didn’t do anything to anybody. He was only with us on earth for nine years. Why you? Just why?
« I don’t understand. 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. »
In Germany, questions are being asked after the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, said in an interview that his office received a tipoff from Saudi Arabia in November 2023 about the suspect, which led authorities to launch “appropriate investigative measures ».
Mr Münch said: “The man also published a huge number of posts on the internet. He also had contact with various authorities, made insults and even threats. However, he was not known to have committed acts of violence. »
Münch adde that the warnings, however, proved to be very unspecific. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees also said it received a tipoff about the suspect in the late summer of last year.
Authorities said 200 people were injured, including 41 in serious condition. They were being treated in multiple hospitals in Magdeburg, which is about 80 miles west of Berlin.
The suspect was hauled before a judge on Saturday evening after being apprehended close to the scene by armed police. The hearing was held behind closed doors and he was ordered to be kept in custody on allegations of murder and attempted murder.
The horror triggered by yet another act of mass violence in Germany makes it likely that migration will remain a key issue as the country heads toward an early election on February 23.
A deadly knife attack by a suspected Islamic extremist from Syria in Solingen in August pushed the issue to the top of the agenda, and led the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to tighten border security measures.
Right-wing figures from across Europe have criticised German authorities for having allowed high levels of migration in the past and for what they see as security failures now.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is known for a strong anti-migration position going back years, used the attack in Germany to lash out at the European Union’s migration policies and described it as a “terrorist act.”
At an annual press conference in Budapest on Saturday, Orbán insisted that “there is no doubt that there is a link between the changed world in Western Europe, the migration that flows there, especially illegal migration and terrorist acts.”
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