MAGDEBURG, Germany - Authorities investigated a Saudi doctor with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric as the suspected driver in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg that killed five people and injured scores.

The Friday (Dec 20) evening attack on crowds gathered to celebrate the Christmas season could sharpen a fierce debate in Germany over security and immigration ahead of a national election in February, with opinion polls suggesting the far right will perform strongly.

Authorities said on Saturday the motive was not clear. However, the Magdeburg prosecutor, Horst Nopens, said one possible factor could be what he called the suspect's frustration with Germany's handling of Saudi refugees.

The suspect, a 50-year-old psychiatrist who has lived in Germany for almost two decades, was arrested at the scene following the three-minute attack in the central city that shocked the country. Police did not name the suspect, identified by German media only as Taleb A.

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