Germany’s Migration and Refugees Agency said it received a tip last year about the man accused of attacking a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, leaving five dead.
The warning was received via social media channels late in the summer of 2023, the authority wrote on X.
“This, like all other indications, was taken seriously,” the migration agency said.
Since the migration agency is not an investigative body, the informant was referred directly to the relevant authorities, the post said.
Screenshots are circulating online that appear to show messages from an individual alerting the migration agency to the alleged perpetrator, Taleb A.
The authenticity of these screenshots could not initially be verified.
Taleb A, whose full identity is protected by German privacy laws, was charged Sunday with numerous murders, attempted murders and other charges.
The suspect allegedly drove through the Christmas market via unobstructed emergency lanes on Friday evening, hitting people at high speed. Authorities said four women and a nine-year-old boy were killed and 200 injured.