It turns out that the man who chose to drive his SUV through a crowded Christmas market in Germany had warned people he would do it much earlier.
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The incident, which killed 5, critically injured 40, and wounded more than 200, could have been prevented, according to sources. It has been discovered that Al-Abdulmohsen had been speaking online about the attack. The right-wing Saudi man asked online, "Would you blame me if I randomly killed 20 Germans because of what Germany is doing against the Saudis?"
A woman claimed that she had spoken to the police about his online outbursts a significant amount of time ago. However, they hadn't done anything about it, only take screenshots. I am sure they opened a file about the man before he chose to drive through the Christmas market, but it was not enough.
Multiple Online Treats From Christmas Market Mass Murder Man
While being interviewed, it turns out the man was on drugs and mentally very unwell while he drove through the Christmas market. I think the latter goes without saying. However, his online threats reveal his intentions early on.
He was a far-right supporter, often promoting posts by Tommy Robinson. And, in an online outburst, he spoke about how he felt about the refugee situation in Germany. "'I assure you that if Germany wants a war, we will fight it. If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die, or go to prison with pride. Because we have exhausted all peaceful means and all we have received from the police, state security, the prosecution, the judiciary, and the Ministry of the Interior is more crimes against us. Peace is of no use with them."
The post was made in Arabic but is a clear call for violence against the people. The Saudi man had been stewing on his anger before he drove through the Christmas market. His online rambling should have been picked up early by the German police force. The German internet is known for being highly surveilled, I would be surprised if it wasn't noticed. If the police had stepped in earlier, this tragedy at the Christmas market may have been avoided.
