A report from the Rostock Institute of Forensic Medicine, dated May 23, 2013, recommended the immediate admission of the perpetrator of the Magdeburg Christmas market attack into a psychiatric clinic. This information is contained within a document from the Rostock Criminal Police Inspectorate, as reported by Welt am Sonntag. The individual, a Saudi Arabian national, drove a car through the Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20, 2024, resulting in six deaths and over 300 injuries.
The police report was addressed to the Health Department of the Vorpommern-Rügen district. The perpetrator resided in Stralsund from 2011 to 2016 and completed his specialist training as a psychiatrist in 2014. Prior to this, he was convicted by the Rostock District Court of disturbing public order and making threats, receiving a fine of 900 euros.
The document details that he threatened employees of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Medical Association with an act that would “receive international attention” during a dispute over his accreditation. He referenced the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, in which three people died, as an example.
Further investigation of his apartment revealed the presence of anabolic steroids, cortisone and the strong opioid painkiller Tramadol. He also admitted to taking psychotropic drugs to an employee of the State Examination Office for Healthcare Professions, who subsequently suspected him of suffering from psychosis. Previously, it was only publicly known that police had contacted the Social Psychiatric Service of the Vorpommern-Rügen district, requesting their intervention.
Despite these warning signs, the individual was not apprehended or subjected to further intervention at the time. A spokesperson for the Vorpommern-Rügen district stated that information gathered through the activities of the Social Psychiatric Service is subject to confidentiality regulations, including details related to medication, psychiatric diagnoses, or psychological assessments. Due to personal data and privacy concerns, no personal or health-related data will be released to the press.
The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry of the Interior has indicated that, due to the passage of time, no records relating to the case are currently available in central police systems and more detailed information is no longer available.