Five people were killed and more than 200 were injured when a car drove through a crowd of people at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany. The right-wing party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), organized a rally in the city on Monday.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Wednesday urged the AfD not to use the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg last week for political gain.
“AfD people, I can only say: Any attempt to use such a horrific event and ridicule the suffering of the victims is shameful,” Faeser said in comments to Funke Media Group, a major publisher of German newspapers and magazines.
“It just shows the behavior of those who do such things,” he said.
The AfD organized a rally in Magdeburg on Monday, which police said was attended by about 3,500 people.
Germany plans to hold snap elections at the end of February. The AfD has consistently come second in pre-election opinion polls, behind the conservative CDU/CSU coalition.
Speaking about Friday's attack, Faeser said, “We are making every effort to clarify this incident. We mourn the dead and our thoughts are with their families.”
What we know about the alleged attacker
The 50-year-old suspect, who identified himself as Taleb A., is in custody awaiting trial.
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The police continue to investigate the reasons for the suspect, who is originally from Saudi Arabia and has been living in Germany since 2006.
The suspect was a big user of the X platform, where he published many posts criticizing Islam and Saudi Arabia, and also expressed support for the AfD.
Germany's DPA news agency reported that Saudi Arabian authorities had requested the suspect's extradition last year.
“Right now, we also have to support the emergency workers and emergency services workers, who have faced terrible things and have worked beyond their capacity,” Faeser said.
