Will the Christmas market attack divide Germans further over immigration?

German authorities say the psychiatrist accused of a ramming attack in Magdeburg is Islamophobic.

They have charged the Saudi psychiatrist – who has lived in Germany for 18 years – with several counts of murder and attempted murder.

But the anti-immigrant, far-right Alternative for Germany party has made gains in opinion polls before February’s snap election. And just days after the fall of the al-Assad regime, the government in Berlin froze asylum applications from Syrians.

Will Friday’s carnage, coupled with the dispute about migrants in Europe, divide Germany even further?

Could police have done more to prevent the attack?

Presenter: Neave Barker

Guests:

Ulrich Brueckner – Professor of political science at Stanford University in Berlin

Rachel Rizzo – Non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center

Muhammad al Kashef – Political adviser and consultant at Migrant Solidarity Network