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Trial Over Magdeburg Christmas Market Attack Opens in Purpose-Built Courtroom

A purpose-built hall and a lengthy docket reflect the scale of victim participation in one of Germany’s largest recent criminal cases.

Overview

  • Proceedings begin Monday in Magdeburg, with 45 to 46 hearing days scheduled through mid-March 2026.
  • A temporary courthouse at Jerichower Platz was erected with extensive seating, including space for roughly 450 co-plaintiffs and 200 public and media observers, with costs projected around €5 million and criticized publicly.
  • Taleb A. stands trial over the 20 December 2024 vehicle attack that killed six and injured more than 300, and he faces the prospect of life-long preventive detention.
  • An expert report for the Saxony-Anhalt parliament has characterized the act as politically motivated terrorism, yet the federal prosecutor did not take it on as a state security case, leaving the matter with the Magdeburg regional court.
  • Hundreds of victims are participating as co-plaintiffs, security at the rebuilt Christmas market has been tightened, and earlier police and organizer planning remains under scrutiny.