Committees within the German Bundestag debate the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg to determine if the tragic incident could have been prevented.
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00:00Two Bundestag committees have launched a debate into the tragic attack on a Christmas market
00:06in the German city of Magdeburg.
00:09The fatal attacks have killed five people, including a nine-year-old boy, and have sparked
00:13domestic unrest.
00:16The debate was called for by the Bundestag's Committee on Internal Affairs, with the aim
00:20of determining if the attack was preventable and if authorities committed any mistakes
00:24leading to the tragedy.
00:27German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser attended the session.
00:31In the session, she acknowledged security gaps in the country, but stressed that all
00:35domestic units have required strengthening for a while.
00:38It was clear before this terrible attack that we had to strengthen our security services.
00:45Our security services need all the necessary resources and more staff.
00:51This budget for 2025 sees one billion euros more for the security services and 1,000 additional
00:59police officers at the federal police.
01:02That's what we need.
01:05But other members of parliament from Germany's opposition parties raised serious concerns
01:09with the incumbent government's competence.
01:13They say the government hasn't done enough to ensure threats to the public were contained
01:17before an incident like this occurs.
01:21The main suspect in the attack, Saudi doctor, identified as Talib A, had multiple run-ins
01:26with German authorities, including a conviction in 2013.
01:32Saudi Arabia also says it has alerted Germany on three different occasions about his extremist
01:36views.
01:37If, as in the previous case, these violent fantasies come together with crimes, with
01:43a display behavior by authorities and with warnings of foreign intelligence services,
01:48then you have to say, under the guise of, we have to turn on the lights, which in the
01:51previous case were not turned on.
01:55The attack has increased domestic turmoil in the country.
01:59Germany is already dealing with political division, which led to the collapse of Chancellor
02:03Olaf Scholz's government earlier in December, and new elections set for February.
02:09Lawmakers say this investigation will not end until this crime is fully solved and pledge
02:13to ensure such a tragedy does not occur again.
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