Authorities in at least six federal states had dealings with the man who would later carry out the Magdeburg attack. This is revealed by a confidential report to the Bundestag on the authorities’ handling of Taleb A, as reported by the “Spiegel”.
The report lists 105 incidents since 2013 that are connected to A. 14 investigations were launched against the Saudi Arabian doctor, most of which were eventually dropped. A. himself filed 18 complaints against others, often with baseless accusations, and also targeted judges, public prosecutors, and even his own lawyer, apparently with threats.
According to the report, A. was twice convicted, most recently on the day before the Magdeburg bloodshed, for misuse of emergency calls. It is incident number 105 in the chronology of his case, which the Interior Committee of the Bundestag will discuss on Thursday.
According to the BKA report, authorities in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin, Hamburg, and Bavaria had dealings with the later attacker. In addition, numerous federal authorities, from the BKA to the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as well as the Chancellor’s Office, were involved.
As early as July 2014, Saudi Arabian authorities first contacted the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, expressing concerns that A. had threatened their ambassador, saying he would take revenge. The case also reached the BKA. In 2023 and 2024, Saudi Arabian authorities repeatedly informed the BND and other authorities about internet postings in which A. threatened violence. On two occasions, police officers from Saxony-Anhalt visited A. for so-called danger assessments, apparently without success.
According to the report, A. also contacted the Federal Ministry of the Interior on multiple occasions. In February 2023, he sent the following message via the contact form: “Must one kill 20 people on the streets of Berlin in Germany to get justice?