Education alone can’t prevent radicalisation, security expert says

A car attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg killed at least five people and injured more than 200 on Friday. The suspect, identified as Taleb A., a doctor born in Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany since 2006, has been arrested.

Discussions around preventing radicalisation through education have resurfaced in the wake of the attack.

Counter-terrorism consultant Rebecca Schönenbach commented on X, saying, “Education does not prevent radicalisation […]”

Euronews reached out to Schönenbach to comment further on her statement.

Schönenbach explained: “Highly educated individuals are often found in organised terrorist groups. For example, the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in Germany, has historically advertised themselves at universities.”

“Radical left-wing organisations, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist group by the EU, also recruit within student communities. This has been seen at German universities, especially since 7 October 2023.”

“These examples demonstrate that education does not automatically prevent radicalisation. Therefore, while education is important, it cannot be the sole preventative measure,” Schönenbach concluded.

Radical statements of Talib A.

In the case of Taleb A., it has become clear that he had been spreading Islamophobic views online for years and showed support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). He expressed a desire to establish an academy for ex-Muslims in collaboration with the AfD and, according to several media reports, stated: “Who else is fighting Islam in Germany?”

Local media reports also indicate that German authorities had already received warnings from Saudi Arabia about Taleb A.

Taleb A. was primarily active on X (formerly Twitter), where he called for retaliation against the German state, saying, “I assure you that revenge will come 100 per cent soon. Even if it costs me my life.”

He accused the German state of Islamisation and also posted in June: “We need AfD to protect the police from themselves.”

Euronews asked Rebecca Schönenbach how she views the radicalisation of older people on social media.

“The potential for online radicalisation is not limited to Twitter; older individuals are also targeted on other social platforms. In general, people over 50 are more likely to share fake news, as they tend to have more difficulty recognising it compared to younger online users. In the case of the Magdeburg perpetrator, however, several factors come into play. His activity on X demonstrates a radical attitude, but whether his radicalisation occurred solely online is questionable.” she explained.

Schönenbach also noted that, to date, there is “no publicly confirmed information about the Magdeburg perpetrator’s social environment, mental health, personal contacts, or other factors that could have contributed to his radicalisation.”

Suspect had already been reported to authorities

Schönenbach continues: “What is certain is that he had already been reported to the authorities by at least two people, meaning he had been on their radar for months, if not years. This raises the question of whether his professional environment noticed any behavioural issues.”

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However, Schönenbach adds that, at this point, too much remains unclear “to make any definitive statements.”

According to information from the news magazine Der Spiegel, a complaint was filed against Taleb A. in December 2023. The complaint referred to X posts by A. in which he claimed that Germany would “pay a price” for allegedly persecuting Saudi Arabian refugees. The Saxony-Anhalt State Criminal Police Office (LKA) investigated the complaint, and their assessment revealed that no specific threat had emerged from his posts.

The organisation Säkuläre Flüchtlingshilfe also stated in a press release that it had been in contact with the alleged perpetrator in the past, with the last extrajudicial contact taking place in 2018.

“Initially, there were plans to collaborate in coordinating help for atheist refugees from Saudi Arabia. However, this cooperation ultimately failed,” the statement read.

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Since then, contact with Taleb A. has only been through lawyers and the courts. The organisation reported that its members filed a police complaint in 2019 “following the most vile slander and verbal attacks from him.”

“Throughout this time, we have been unable to identify any reason for his defamation campaign or the aggressiveness of his accusations,” the statement continued.

Further information from Der Spiegel revealed that the alleged perpetrator was scheduled to appear in court in Magdeburg on 19 December, one day before the attack. He had been issued a penalty order for “misuse of emergency calls” in Berlin in February 2024, but Taleb A. had appealed.