The suspect has been identified in local media reports as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, the BBC understands. He is a 50-year-old Saudi-born psychiatrist who lives in Bernburg, around 40km (25 miles) south of Magdeburg. He has been remanded in custody on suspicion of five counts of murder, multiple attempted murders and dangerous bodily harm, police say.

The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist named Taleb A., has lived in Germany for nearly 20 years. Authorities are investigating the motives behind the attack, which remain unclear. View on euron

New information is emerging about the Friday attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, which claimed the lives of five people. It has been revealed that the German police contacted the perpetrator a few weeks before the attack.