Police spoke to the suspect in the deadly car attack at a Christmas market in Germany several weeks before the attack, DPA reported, citing local authorities, BTA reported.
The attack in the city of Magdeburg last Friday, which killed five people and injured 235 - is believed to have been carried out by a Saudi national, identified only as Taleb A, as required by German law. Investigators are trying to determine his motives amid allegations that authorities failed to heed warnings about the perpetrator.
Saxoney-Anhalt state Interior Minister Tamara Zissang told lawmakers in Magdeburg on Monday that police had spoken to the suspect twice - in September 2023 and October 2024 - to warn him about his behavior.
The first conversation took place at the Salzland police station near Magdeburg, and this year's meeting was at the suspect's workplace. Zissang did not comment publicly on the background to the meetings, but told lawmakers in the state parliament that she would provide details during a closed session of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament.