German terror expert surprised at suspect's profile

 Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann has admitted his surprise as more details emerge about the man suspected of carrying out the fatal car-ramming attack in Magdeburg on Friday.

German media have named the man, a 50-year-old Saudi, as Taleb A, and he’s thought to have worked to help fellow Saudis leave their home country.

On social media the suspect appears to have expressed anti-Islam views and support for the far-right AfD.

“After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD (Alternative for Germany) and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar, ” Neumann, the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at King’s College London, wrote on X.