Saudi Arabia had warned Germany about the man suspected of carrying out the Magdeburg Christmas market incident, Saudi Arabian security sources said.
Saudi Arabia requested the extradition of the suspect, named Taleb A. under German law, but Germany had not responded, the sources said.
They said the man was a Shia Muslim from the town of Al-Hofuf in eastern Saudi Arabia. Shiites are a minority in the country, making up only about 10% of the Sunni majority country.
There have been repeated reports of discrimination against Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
German authorities were warned about the man about a year ago, DPA has learned, but the nature of the warning is currently unknown.
Christmas market stalls stand behind a barrier at Magdeburg’s Christmas market, where a driver rammed into a group of people the night before. Several people were killed and injured in the attack. Jan Woitas/dpa
