German authorities were warned last year about suspect in Christmas market ramming

German authorities received a warning last year about the suspected perpetrator in a car attack at a Christmas market, a government office says as more details emerged about the five people killed in the attack.

“This was taken seriously, like every other of the numerous tips,” the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees sys on X about the tip it said it received in the late summer of last year.

But the office also notes that it is not an investigative authority and that it referred the information to the responsible authorities, following the procedure in such cases. It gives no other details about the suspect or the nature of the warnings.

Authorities have identified the suspect in the Magdeburg attack as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency.

Police haven’t publicly named the suspect, but several German news outlets identified him as Taleb A., withholding his last name in line with privacy laws, and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.