Germany’s security and intelligence chiefs are due in court on Monday over the attack that killed five people and injured more than 200 at a Christmas market 10 days ago.
They will be questioned about possible missed evidence and security lapses before the December 20 attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg, where police arrested 50-year-old psychiatrist Taleb al-Abdulmohsen at the scene.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, officials from the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the heads of Germany’s domestic and foreign intelligence services are expected to hold a closed-door committee meeting in parliament from 12:00 GMT.
Abdulmohsen is the only suspect in the attack, in which a rented BMW sports car ploughed at high speed through a crowd of walkers, leaving a bloody trail behind it. Investigators have yet to announce a motive for the attack.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the scene of a car attack on a crowded Christmas market that killed five people and injured more than 200. He called for unity, condemning the “terrible catastrophe.”
He promised Germany would respond to the attack “to the full extent of the law” but also called for unity as Germany faces a heated debate over immigration and security and moves towards elections in February.
The centre-left chancellor said it was important “that we stick together, that we stick to our guns, that it is not hatred that defines our coexistence, but that we are a community that strives for a common future.”
He said he was grateful for the expressions of “solidarity … from many, many countries around the world,” and added that “it is good to hear that we Germans are not alone in the face of this terrible catastrophe.”
