“He wanted to inflict maximum pain”: Making Sense of the Magdeburg Attack

The author presents information that was previously available only in German for the first time in English.

On December 20, 2024, Saudi immigrant Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen drove his car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, indiscriminately striking men, women, and children. Many were quick to draw parallels with the 2016 Berlin truck attack. However, despite the similar method and target, the motive behind this tragedy—which left five dead and over 200 injured—soon proved to be quite different. The perpetrator, a 50-year-old psychiatrist, was not an Islamist. On the contrary, he openly expressed hatred for Islam, supported apostates, and aligned himself with Germany’s anti-immigrant AfD (Alternative for Germany) party. What could have compelled him to commit such an act of terror?

For forensic psychiatrist and author Reinhard Haller, renowned for his work on several high-profile cases in Germany and Austria, one thing is clear: Al-Abdulmohsen “wanted to inflict maximum pain on society.” Haller explains, “This is often the case with similar attackers,” which also sheds light on the timing and location of the attack. Christmas markets, beyond their religious significance, embody a convivial atmosphere and represent a society that cherishes the freedom to enjoy itself—making them a perfect target for those who despise this society and its values. In Al-Abdulmohsen’s eyes, Germany’s free and open society had failed to defeat Islam.

However, political grievances alone fail to explain what drove Al-Abdulmohsen—who had exhibited aggressive and antisocial behaviour repeatedly since arriving in Germany in 2006—to massacre innocent German civilians. In the absence of a religious motive, mental illness naturally emerges as a plausible explanation. “There are two possible disorders to consider,“ Haller says. “It could have been a paranoid personality disorder with strong fanatical traits [that drove Al-Abdulmohsen to carry out the attack], or he might have been delusional, suffering from an overvalued idea that shaped his behaviour.” Haller draws a parallel to Anders Breivik, who murdered 77 mostly young people in Norway on July 22, 2011, and explains the danger posed by people suffering from such delusions: