Berlin, NJ Police Alerted About German Market Massacre Suspect: Report

BERLIN, NJ — A woman tried to alert police in Berlin, Germany, more than a year ago about the man suspected of killing five people at a Christmas market. She mistakenly emailed the Berlin Police Department in Camden County, according to German media.

Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen drove an SUV into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, according to German authorities. He's accused of killing four woman and a 9-year-old boy while injuring more than 200 people.

In September 2023, a woman tried to tell police in Germany's capital that Al-Abdulmohsen wanted to "kill random German citizens." But she mistakenly sent it to the authorities in Berlin Borough, according to Die Welt, a major German newspaper.

Berlin Borough is a small town in Camden County with about 7,500 people.

Die Welt reporter Tim Röhn shared a screenshot of the email on Saturday, the day after the mass attack.

"He said that on twitter to people 'do not blame me if i kill randomly 20 german people,'" the email says.

It's unclear whether any member of Berlin Borough police saw the email. Police Chief Michael Scheer said it never came to his attention, as the department's email system routinely filters out apparent spam from other countries.

"Most likely the email was blocked by IT or went to spam if it was not intercepted," he told the Courier-Post.

Patch contacted Scheer with questions and will update with any response.

Al-Abdulmohsen is accused of deliberately speeding into a crowd at the Magdeburg Christmas market. German authorities have described the suspect as an Islamophobe, but a motive remains unknown.