Investigations into the December 2024 attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, which left six people dead and over 300 injured, have found no evidence of Russian state involvement, according to a comprehensive report released by the Saxony-Anhalt State Criminal Police Office (LKA).
The investigation, spurred by a series of violent incidents occurring prior to recent federal elections and subsequent speculation regarding potential foreign interference, meticulously examined all 7,364 contacts found on the perpetrator’s mobile phone. No connections to Russian telephone numbers were identified. Analysis of GPS data from the device also showed no record of the suspect travelling to Russia.
Investigators also assessed data from “Google Trends” searching for potentially suspicious online activity leading up to the attack, noting a pattern of related searches prior to incidents in 2024. However, the LKA deemed this tool unreliable, citing its potential to produce misleading information and concluding it offered no additional benefit to the Magdeburg investigation.
The report states that there are no indications suggesting the perpetrator, identified as Taleb A., had ties to any foreign or Russian intelligence services. The LKA believes Taleb A., a physician originally from Saudi Arabia, acted alone, without the assistance of accomplices or co-conspirators. Furthermore, investigations determined that the “Saudi Military Opposition” group to which Taleb A. claimed affiliation on social media platform X does not exist, suggesting he falsely presented himself as a member to amplify a perceived threat.
