Salus Received Warning About Magdeburg Attacker’s Mental Health Prior to Incident
Employer Knew of Concerns Weeks Before Tragedy
Magdeburg, Germany – The employer of the perpetrator responsible for the Magdeburg attack had received indications of concerns about his mental stability weeks before the incident. Salus, a healthcare company, confirmed that it had received an email in August 2024 from a colleague expressing worries about Taleb A.’s psychological state.
According to reports from the MDR, the email recounted a statement made by Taleb A. during a conversation in the workplace. The doctor had allegedly said, "I am at war, but not in a metaphorical sense, but in a real war, the outcome of which will be either to die or to kill."
Taleb A., originally from Saudi Arabia, worked as a ward physician at the Maßregelvollzug psychiatric hospital in Bernburg since 2020. His responsibilities included providing psychiatric care to inmates in three wards. Shortly before Christmas, the doctor drove a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing six people and injuring nearly 300.
Email Raised Concerns, but No Immediate Intervention
In the email sent to Salus, an employee urged the company to offer assistance to Taleb A. Salus stated that the employee had contacted the therapeutic director "out of concern for Taleb A.’s mental health." The medical director also received the email.
Taleb A. was on sick leave on the day the email was received, according to Salus. "Therefore, immediate intervention was not possible." The medical director later conducted a return-to-work interview "in which Taleb A. showed no signs of posing a threat to himself or others."
The quoted statement was not repeated during the interview. However, Taleb A. expressed concern about alleged activities by the Saudi Arabian secret service against him. "His statement was interpreted as an exaggerated expression of personal conflict," a Salus spokesperson said. It was known that he had renounced Islam and was active as an activist. Taleb A. had also drawn attention since 2023 due to frequent sick leaves.
Supervisory Board Informed After the Fact
According to Salus, the chairman of the supervisory board and the managing director were informed about the email’s contents on February 4, 2025, by an employee. The matter was investigated promptly, the Salus spokesperson said. The supervisory board is scheduled to discuss the issue on February 20.
Lack of Communication Between Employer and Police
Prior to the attack, the police had visited Taleb A. on October 4, 2024, due to a threatening incident. Through the "Gefährderansprache" (threat assessment), the police intended to indicate that they were aware of a potential offender and warn them to refrain from specific behavior.
Despite the fact that Taleb A. was responsible for providing psychiatric care to patients and that the threat assessment had taken place at his workplace, there was no exchange of information between his employer, Salus, and the police. Salus stated that the police did not disclose the reason for contacting Taleb A.
Parliamentary Committee to Investigate
On Thursday, a parliamentary investigation committee will convene in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt to examine the Christmas market attack. The committee will also address the issue of Taleb A.’s medical license and whether his suitability and qualifications for his position as a doctor in the psychiatric hospital were adequately assessed.
