Car races through Christmas market: Green from emergency to stop: “deficit in action” by the authorities

After the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, Green deputy parliamentary group leader Konstantin von Notz sees similar deficits as in the attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz. “The horrific attack in Magdeburg is strikingly reminiscent of the Breitscheidplatz attack eight years ago,” von Notz told the “Rheinische Post”. In 2016, an Islamist terrorist drove a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in Berlin – 13 people were killed.

“Once again there appears to have been an overall lack of knowledge regarding the perpetrator and the threat he posed and a problem in combining the various information,” said the chairman of the Parliamentary Control Committee. He expects the federal and state governments to explain in detail in the coming days what they knew about Taleb A. at what time and how the information was handled.

Taleb A. drove a car through the Christmas market on Friday evening, killing five people and injuring up to 235. He is in custody. He is accused of five counts of murder, multiple counts of attempted murder and multiple counts of grievous bodily harm.

BKA creates a case history for the perpetrator

According to dpa information, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior want to present a case chronology on the perpetrator of the attack by the special meeting of the Interior Committee next Monday. The aim is to compile which authorities had which information about the perpetrator at what time and how these were followed up. Authorities in at least six federal states are said to have had dealings with him.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that she wanted to create transparency. When asked whether the security authorities should not have prevented the attack, the SPD politician told the Funke media group: “This will be examined closely in the investigations into this terrible act. Every stone will be turned over here – and full transparency will be achieved.”

Faeser: Investigations must provide a clearer picture for conclusions

“Just as we drew comprehensive conclusions from the terrible attack in Solingen with the federal government’s security package and then strengthened the security authorities, we will now do everything we can to learn the right lessons,” said Faeser.

However, the perpetrator’s motives are still vague and do not fit into any previous pattern. The investigation should provide a clearer picture. “And from this we then have to deduce which mechanisms need to be sharpened in the police authorities in order to determine the dangerousness of people as precisely as possible.”

As the German Press Agency learned from security circles, there is increasing evidence of a mental illness in the 50-year-old, who has recently made increasingly confused and radical statements on social media.

Faeser said again that the outstanding draft laws on internal security should be passed immediately and criticized the FDP and the Union for blockades in the past. “We also need the legally secure obligation to store IP addresses, which is essential in the fight against crime and terrorism and has now been passed by European Court of Justice has not only declared it permissible but necessary,” said the minister.

Von Notz: “No deficit of intervention options”

Von Notz, however, does not see the problem with the powers of the authorities. “It cannot be the case that it is an advantage for a perpetrator to spread his activities across several federal states. The investigation will show whether these federalism-related problems are confirmed,” he told the Funke media group. It is not clear to him how data retention could be remedied in response to this attack.

“The authorities apparently didn’t even read this man’s public tweets. There’s no shortage of options for action here, there’s a deficit of action.”

Union parliamentary group vice: Mediation committee for security package

Meanwhile, Union parliamentary group vice-president Andrea Lindholz called for the mediation committee to be contacted for the remaining parts of the security package. “If Ms. Faeser is serious, she must now call the mediation committee on the security package. Then there is a chance of making real progress for security in our country in the remaining weeks until the federal election,” she told the “Rheinische Post” .

A security package is needed that gives the authorities effective powers. The CSU politician mentioned the minimum storage period for IP addresses. “But we also have to regulate powers for automated facial recognition and the internet comparison of police data, which make the most of what is constitutionally possible.”

“If the SPD actually moves now, that’s good. But if they only have alibi legal changes in mind again, the Union is not ready for that,” said Lindholz.

In October, the Bundestag approved the “security package” approved by the SPD, Greens and FDP after the Islamist knife attack in Solingen. However, the Federal Council then stopped the part that concerns plans for security authorities to compare photos and other biometric data on the Internet.

After the traffic light failed, the red-green federal government no longer has a majority in the Bundestag and is dependent on the support of other parliamentary groups when it comes to legislative proposals.