In the wake of the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, says a new federal police law would strengthen the authority and the introduction of biometric surveillance of foreigners.
“It is clear that we must do everything we can to protect the people of Germany from such horrific acts of violence. To do this, our security authorities need all the necessary powers and more personnel,” Faeser told Spiegel. Faeser and Germany’s entire left-wing government is under enormous pressure due to the fact that numerous complaints were made about the suspect Taleb A. after he threatened to “slaughter” and murder Germans on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, police took no action against him.
The SPD politician also indicated that the necessary laws should be passed immediately, despite the collapse of the government coalition and lack of a government majority in the Bundestag. Faeser herself has long advocated for the acceptance of migrants and is known for her open borders policies.
At least five people were killed and more than 200 injured in the terrorist attack in Magdeburg on Friday evening. The perpetrator was a Saudi immigrant known for his anti-Islam views. In many cases, he threatened to kill Germans because they were not accepting enough Saudi refugees, most notably those who were attempting to leave Islam.
On Sunday, Faeser assured that “the federal authorities are pulling out all the stops” in the investigation and processing of the Magdeburg attack. Possible failures by the security authorities after the terrorist attack are also being investigated.
A mother mourns: "André hadn’t done anything to anyone – why you, why?"
Désirée G. wrote her goodbyes to her 9-year-old son on Facebook after the German Christmas market terror attack.
“Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again.” pic.twitter.com/tF9z1hruDN
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 22, 2024Deputy Mayor Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz, meanwhile, urged Magdeburg residents to make use of crisis management services. She said there were many options available, while the federal and state governments have promised further support. Stieler-Hinz said everything must be questioned again to draw lessons for the future.
Christmas markets are expected to take place again in Magdeburg; however, authorities and organizers must establish in what form and under what circumstances.
After the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, the organizers’ security concept was widely criticized. According to expert Christian Schneider, all possible attack routes should have been protected in such a way that entry was impossible. He cited the Christmas markets in Mainz and Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz as positive examples, where the entrances are secured.
The Bild newspaper reported on Sunday evening that Magdeburg’s security plan called for a police van at the entrance to stop other vehicles from entering the market, but this did not happen.
