A German Christmas market attack suspect has been arrested on charges of murder

A man suspected of driving a car into a German Christmas market in an attack that killed at least five people and injured scores more was charged with murder and attempted murder on Sunday after being remanded in custody, police said.

Police in the central city of Magdeburg, where Friday’s attack took place, also reported clashes at a far-right demonstration Saturday night of about 2,100 people, with other residents attending somber commemorations.

The suspect is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany for nearly twenty years.

According to a police statement, the magistrate arrested the man pending trial after prosecutors charged him with five counts of murder, attempted multiple murder and grievous bodily harm.

The dead were identified as a nine-year-old boy and four adult women aged 52, 45, 75 and 67.

German authorities have not released the name of the suspect, who is a permanent resident of Germany, and his full name is being withheld in local media in accordance with local privacy laws. International media, including BBC News and the Guardian, have identified the accused as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen.

Suspect X’s account describes him as a former Muslim. It is full of tweets and retweets that focus on anti-Islamic topics and criticism of the religion, while congratulating Muslims who have left the religion. He criticized the German authorities and said that they did not do enough to fight the “Islamization of Europe”. He also expressed support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A day after the attack, police reported shootings at a Saturday night protest that drew about 2,100 people. The right-wing party described the gathering as a “demonstration against terrorism” on the Telegram messaging app.

The protesters, dressed in black pants, can be seen holding large banners emblazoned with the word “remigration,” popular among far-right supporters who want the mass deportation of migrants and people considered to be ethnically German.

The motive for Friday night’s attack is still unclear.