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Berlin lorry attack: What we know Berlin lorry attack: What we know
(about 20 hours later)
Berlin attack: What we knowBerlin attack: What we know
A lorry smashed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on 19 December, killing 12 people and injuring 49, with 18 of them in a critical condition. A lorry smashed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on 19 December, killing 12 people and injuring 49, leaving 18 in a critical condition.
So-called Islamic State (IS) has said one of its "soldiers" was responsible and German police are treating it as a "terror attack". It has been compared with the July lorry attack in Nice, southern France, which killed 86 people. So-called Islamic State (IS) said the following day that one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack on Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, but offered no evidence.
Police are still hunting the killer and any accomplices. Investigators have released a 23-year-old Pakistani man who was detained on Monday night. Police initially detained a 23-year-old Pakistani man, who denied any involvement and was later released after questioning by investigators.
He denied any involvement and, after questioning, no charges were pressed against him. After an inspection of the lorry, which was registered in Poland, authorities discovered legal papers belonging to a Tunisian man, Anis Amri, triggering a Europe-wide manhunt.
Amri's fingerprints were later discovered on the door of the lorry.
It is thought that Amri may have been injured in a struggle with the Polish driver, who was found murdered in the cab following the attack.
German authorities later warned that Amri was likely to be armed and offered a reward of up to €100,000 (£84,000; $104,000) for information leading to his arrest.
What happened?What happened?
At 20:14 local time (19:14 GMT) the lorry, laden with steel beams, crashed into people gathered around wooden huts and stands selling mulled wine and sausages.At 20:14 local time (19:14 GMT) the lorry, laden with steel beams, crashed into people gathered around wooden huts and stands selling mulled wine and sausages.
The market was packed with tourists and locals, at Breitscheidplatz, near Berlin's famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was damaged in a World War Two bombing raid.The market was packed with tourists and locals, at Breitscheidplatz, near Berlin's famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was damaged in a World War Two bombing raid.
The lorry, registered in Poland, drove 50-80 metres (160-260 ft) through the market. The lorry drove 50-80 metres (160-260 ft) through the market.
Witnesses reckoned its speed to be about 64km/h (40mph), as it sent market stalls flying, leaving a trail of debris and casualties.Witnesses reckoned its speed to be about 64km/h (40mph), as it sent market stalls flying, leaving a trail of debris and casualties.
Australian Trisha O'Neill said she witnessed "blood and bodies everywhere". After the lorry stopped, the driver reportedly fled into the darkness of the Tiergarten park.
"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed. I could hear screaming and then we all froze. One witness set off in pursuit for more than a mile (2km), then called the police. Soon after that the Pakistani man was arrested near the park's Victory Column monument.
"Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there." He was later released.
After the lorry stopped, the suspected driver fled into the darkness of the Tiergarten park. He was pursued for more than a mile (2km) by a witness, who called the police. The lorry's Polish driver, named as Lukasz Urban, 37, was found dead in the passenger seat. Police said he appeared to be the victim of a hijack.
Soon after that the Pakistani man was arrested near the park's Victory Column monument. But police are now convinced he was not involved.
A Polish man was found dead in the lorry's passenger seat. He was the registered driver, but police believe he was the victim of a hijack. He has been named as Lukasz Urban, 37.
A pistol apparently used to kill him has not been found.A pistol apparently used to kill him has not been found.
Berlin witnesses describe devastation The German news website Focus said analysis of the lorry's GPS data showed that its engine had been started several times on Monday afternoon, suggesting that someone had been learning to drive it.
A year of terror in Germany At 19:34, the lorry set off for Breitscheidplatz.
Where did the lorry come from? Who is the suspect?
The Polish owner, Ariel Zurawski, said he had been unable to contact his driver since about 16:00 on Monday. Anis Amri, 24, was known to authorities and was under surveillance in Berlin between March and September.
The consignment of steel beams came from Italy, reports say. He was reportedly monitored on suspicion of planning a robbery in order to pay for guns, but surveillance was lifted for lack of evidence.
Mr Zurawski told a Polish TV channel that Mr Urban, found in the lorry, was his cousin. He insisted that "my driver simply could not have done this". Before arriving in Germany in July 2015, Amri served four years in prison in Italy over a fire at a school and refugee reception centre.
Later, after seeing a police photo of the dead man, he said "stab wounds were clearly visible on the photo". He was also sentenced to five years in prison in Tunisia in absentia, reportedly for aggravated theft with violence.
"It was a photo showing the face of my cousin, it was really clear that he had been fighting. His face was all swollen and bloodied." According to German police, Amri, born on 22 December 1992, used six different aliases, at times trying to pass himself off as Egyptian or Lebanese.
The German news website Focus said analysis of the lorry's GPS data showed that its engine had been started several times on Monday afternoon. Finally at 19:34 the lorry had set off. He was facing deportation as of June this year but remained in Germany because of a delay in receiving paperwork from Tunisia.
A man at the Polish haulage firm, Lukasz Wasik, said the lorry was supposed to have been kept stationary, as its cargo was to be unloaded on Tuesday. Officials later confirmed that Amri had attracted the attention of counter-terrorism police.
How have the authorities reacted? Who were the victims?
For several hours they avoided branding it a "terror attack", but later Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere did. So far, along with the driver, only one other victim of the lorry attack on the crowded Breitscheidplatz market has been officially named.
Berlin police have urged the public to report anything suspicious to them, as the killer is still at large. They are tweeting updates in German and English. Israeli tourist Dalia Elyakim, 60, was visiting Berlin with her husband when she was killed on Monday.
Early on Tuesday German special forces searched a hangar at Berlin's disused Tempelhof airport. It has recently become home to nearly 2,000 migrants. Two Germans - a 32-year-old man from Brandenburg an der Havel and a 53-year-old woman from Dahme-Spreewald - were also among the dead, the state's interior ministry said.
A mobile phone seized during that search is now being examined. Fabrizia di Lorenzo, an Italian who has not be heard from since, is feared dead, while a German woman from Neuss, near the west German city of Duesseldorf, is also believed to have died. Her son, aged 40, is among the injured.
Forensic experts are gathering evidence at the Christmas market place. In total, it is believed six Germans were killed in the attack, although five people remain unidentified, according to German website RP Online.
German President Joachim Gauck expressed condolences for the victims, saying "this is an awful evening for Berlin and our country".
In a TV address to the nation on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we have to consider this a terrorist attack".
Referring to the earlier suspicions that an asylum seeker was responsible, she said "it would be particularly sickening for the many Germans who daily work to help refugees".
Despite security fears, Germans do not want to stop Christmas markets and public festivities, she said.
Mr de Maiziere said Berlin's Christmas markets would be closed for a day, as the capital mourns, but those elsewhere would remain open. He urged vigilance.
Are there Islamist links, as in the Nice or Paris atrocities?Are there Islamist links, as in the Nice or Paris atrocities?
Despite being claimed by IS, it still unclear who the attacker is, and Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister, says he can still be at large. The attack in Berlin was claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS).
The Nice beachfront attack, carried out by a Tunisian-born man, was also claimed by IS.The Nice beachfront attack, carried out by a Tunisian-born man, was also claimed by IS.
The jihadist group - currently being attacked by Western and Russian warplanes in Iraq and Syria - has urged its supporters to use vehicles to attack Westerners.The jihadist group - currently being attacked by Western and Russian warplanes in Iraq and Syria - has urged its supporters to use vehicles to attack Westerners.
Germany was shocked by four attacks in the summer, two of which - by asylum seekers - were claimed by IS.Germany was shocked by four attacks in the summer, two of which - by asylum seekers - were claimed by IS.
Alternative for Germany (AfD), an increasingly popular anti-immigrant party, warned that Mrs Merkel's "open-door" policy towards refugees in 2014-2015 posed a big security risk. Alternative for Germany (AfD), an increasingly popular anti-immigrant party, warned that Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" policy towards refugees in 2014-2015 had created a big security risk.