A Saudi doctor who killed six people and injured hundreds after he rammed a car into crowds at a German Christmas market has been jailed for life. The 2024 attack in Magdeburg shocked the country and stirred up tensions over the charged issue of immigration, months before a general election that was held in February 2025.The defendant, Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, 51, was a psychiatrist originally from Saudi Arabia, described by officials as having a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and far-right sympathies.The court in Magdeburg ruled on Friday that the crime was of 'particular severity', a designation that will make it much harder for Abdulmohsen to ever win release from prison.During the months-long trial, Abdulmohsen admitted to driving the rented vehicle through the market but denied deliberately running people over.Prosecutors had charged him with murdering six people and the attempted murder of hundreds more in an attack they say lasted one minute and four seconds and was planned over several weeks.Five women between the ages of 45 and 75 and a nine-year-old boy were killed. Police officers lead defendant Taleb A into the courtroom on the day the verdict is announced in his trial for murder in the 2024 Magdeburg Christmas market attack, in Magdeburg, Germany, 26 June 2026 Debris a closed stalls are seen on the site of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on December 21, 2024, resulting in several deaths and dozens of injuredThe defendant appears to have acted out of dissatisfaction and frustration regarding the outcome of a civil law dispute and his lack of success in various criminal complaints, prosecutors have said, believing him to have acted alone.A psychiatric expert diagnosed the accused with narcissistic personality disorder, but found that he is fully criminally responsible and remains dangerous. The trial required the construction of a massive temporary courtroom on the outskirts of Magdeburg to accommodate the hundreds of victims, relatives and others.More than 100 witnesses and around 40 lawyers representing 200 civil parties to the case appeared during the proceedings.Thomas Klaus, a lawyer representing more than 100 victims or their relatives, told AFP about the defendant before the verdict that it was 'expected that he will, in fact, serve this sentence for the rest of his life'.According to the indictment, Abdulmohsen drove a rented BMW X3 compact SUV with over 340 horsepower through the crowd in the city's historic central market square on December 20, 2024.He reportedly reached a speed of 48 kilometres per hour during the rampage.Abdulmohsen, who was arrested as he emerged from the badly damaged vehicle, was charged with six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder. Forensics police inspect the car that rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on December 21, 2024 Empty chairs with abandoned blankets and debris are seen at the Christmas market after the car ploughed into the square The car-ramming, one of a series of deadly attacks committed by foreign nationals in recent years, intensified a highly charged debate over immigration in the midst of a national election campaignThe attack 'defies human comprehension' and has left the families of victims with 'simply indescribable' suffering, prosecutor Matthias Boettcher said during closing arguments.The car-ramming, one of a series of deadly attacks committed by foreign nationals in recent years, intensified a highly charged debate over immigration in the midst of a national election campaign.Magdeburg's Christmas market opened a year later with concrete blocks and armed police protecting the square.The use of a vehicle evoked jihadist attacks of recent years, but police digging into Abdulmohsen's background quickly discovered a very different motivation - an intense anti-Islam stance and sympathy for far-right politics, including the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.His testimony in court was sometimes incoherent and riddled with conspiracy theories and fringe far-right ideas.He staged a hunger strike that forced the court to continue the trial without him for a time.The doctor, who arrived in Germany in 2006, had previously accused German authorities of failing to adequately protect Saudis fleeing their country for religious or political reasons. Flowers and candles have been placed in tribute to the victims outside the Johanniskirche (Johannes Church) at a makeshift memorial near the site of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on December 22, 2024 Abdulmohsen was charged with six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murderHe had previous run-ins with authorities and had been fined for making threats of criminal violence.According to Boettcher, Abdulmohsen's motive lay in a conflict with a Cologne-based refugee organisation against which he had lost a civil suit.He sought 'revenge' for the court defeat and a series of unsuccessful criminal complaints, and wanted to 'continue to attract public and media attention', the prosecutor argued.He said that during the trial Abdulmohsen showed 'no remorse, regret or introspection whatsoever'.This is a breaking news story, more to follow.