This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/world/europe/berlin-christmas-market-attack.html

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
German Officials Seek Tunisian in Connection With Christmas Market Attack in Berlin German Officials Seek Tunisian in Connection With Christmas Market Attack in Berlin
(about 2 hours later)
BERLIN — The German authorities began an intensive hunt on Wednesday for a young Tunisian man whose papers were found inside the truck that plowed into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday evening, the interior minister announced. BERLIN — A young Tunisian who was denied asylum in Germany and was considered a potential security risk was being sought across Europe on Wednesday as the authorities pursued the attacker who plowed into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday.
The attack killed 12 people and wounded 48 more, of whom 11 remain in critical condition. The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the assault, among Germany’s deadliest acts of terrorism in decades. The attack killed 12 people and wounded 48 more, 11 of whom remain in critical condition. The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the assault, one of Germany’s deadliest acts of terrorism in decades.
The German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, confirmed that a dragnet was underway in both Germany and across Europe’s border-free Schengen area for the Tunisian man, who entered the country via Italy. Mr. de Maizière gave no further details about the suspect and declined to comment on numerous accounts in the German news media about the man’s identity, citing the continuing investigation. “Success counts, and not speed or speculation,” he said. A European arrest warrant identified the Tunisian as Anis Amri, 24, and said he had a history of providing false names and nationalities and should be considered armed and dangerous. German news agencies reported that the man had ties with Abu Walaa, a 32-year-old Iraqi Salafist who was arrested in Germany last month and accused of recruiting would-be jihadists to fight for the Islamic State. A reward of 100,00 euros, or about $104,000, was offered for information leading to his arrest.
Stephan Mayer, the home affairs spokesman for the parliamentary group that includes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, said that the suspect had entered Germany via Italy, but cautioned that many details remained unclear. “We were unable to establish his identity beyond doubt,” he said. The revelations added to the growing pressure confronting Ms. Merkel, who decided last year to open the German border to nearly a million migrants and refugees.
The German news media reported that the Tunisian man had a history of using aliases; had applied for asylum in Germany; had ties with Abu Walaa, a 32-year-old Iraqi Salafist who was arrested in Germany last month and accused of recruiting would-be jihadists to fight for the Islamic State; and had been ordered deported at least once. Mr. Mayer declined to comment on those reports. It was not clear if the Tunisian man was the attacker, but the mere fact that the authorities were working furiously to find someone who only months earlier faced deportation was outrageous, said Stephan Mayer, the home affairs spokesman for the conservative parliamentary bloc that includes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union.
The search for another asylum seeker in connection with the terrorist assault, in this case one who appears to have been known to the authorities, put new pressure on Ms. Merkel, who has come under criticism from the far right over her support for the migrants that Germany welcomed last year. The German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, confirmed that a manhunt was underway but would not get into specifics. “Success counts, and not speed or speculation,” he told reporters in Berlin.
Mr. Amri was recorded as having entered Italy in 2012, according to German news accounts. He traveled to Germany in July 2015 and applied for asylum in April this year, receiving papers that allowed him to stay in the country temporarily. He lived for a time in housing designated for asylum seekers in the city of Emmerich am Rhein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, and in Berlin.
At a news conference in Düsseldorf, Ralf Jäger, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, said that federal prosecutors had been observing the Tunisian man — he did not use Mr. Amri’s name — on suspicion that he might have been plotting an attack. When the man moved to Berlin in February, state authorities there picked up the monitoring.
The man was to have been deported in June, Mr. Jäger said. But because he did not have a valid passport, and because Tunisia did not initially acknowledge that he was a citizen, it was not possible to send him home. (Only on Wednesday did the Tunisian authorities issue a passport, he said.)
Mr. Mayer, the lawmaker, said the Tunisian man had spent a day in custody pending deportation, but because the authorities were unable to establish his identity “beyond doubt,” he was released. “This is a person who apparently was known to be potentially dangerous and who apparently was to be deported,” Mr. Mayer said.
In August, Mr. Amri was arrested in the southern city of Friedrichshafen with a fake Italian document and released a short while later, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation.
An identity document found in a wallet left on the floor of the truck led the German authorities to seek the Tunisian man, said Frank Tempel of the Left Party. The document showed that the suspect had been allowed to remain in Germany but that he had not been granted full asylum.An identity document found in a wallet left on the floor of the truck led the German authorities to seek the Tunisian man, said Frank Tempel of the Left Party. The document showed that the suspect had been allowed to remain in Germany but that he had not been granted full asylum.
The document indicated that the man was born in Tataouine, a desert town in southern Tunisia, in 1992, the news outlets said; the document identified him only by his first name and an initial, Anis A., the newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported. Several of the men involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, in Brussels in March and in Nice in July were of Tunisian origin, but the number of Tunisians in Germany is low.
The Tunisian man was recorded as having entered Italy in 2012. He traveled to Germany in July 2015 and applied for asylum in April this year, receiving papers that allowed him to stay temporarily. He lived for a time in housing designated for asylum seekers in the city of Emmerich am Rhein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, and in Berlin.
In August, he was arrested in the southern city of Friedrichshafen with a fake Italian document and released a short while later, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Reached by phone, an official in Kleve, the town in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border where the Tunisian was reportedly registered, said she was not authorized to release any information about the man, citing privacy laws and the continuing investigation.
Tataouine is a town in the impoverished south of Tunisia, on the edge of the Sahara. Tunisians make up one of the largest groups of foreign fighters in Syria and Libya and have held leadership roles in the Islamic State. Tunisian security officials say the militants have been active in recruiting young volunteers in Tunisia and have links to immigrant networks in Europe.Tataouine is a town in the impoverished south of Tunisia, on the edge of the Sahara. Tunisians make up one of the largest groups of foreign fighters in Syria and Libya and have held leadership roles in the Islamic State. Tunisian security officials say the militants have been active in recruiting young volunteers in Tunisia and have links to immigrant networks in Europe.
A prominent Tunisian commander in the Islamic State, Boubaker al-Hakim, who was wanted in connection with terrorist attacks in Tunisia and was linked to the January 2015 attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, was reported killed last month in a drone strike in Raqqa, Syria.A prominent Tunisian commander in the Islamic State, Boubaker al-Hakim, who was wanted in connection with terrorist attacks in Tunisia and was linked to the January 2015 attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, was reported killed last month in a drone strike in Raqqa, Syria.
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Tunisian man being sought in Germany had lived in the city of Dortmund with a man named Boban S. who has been arrested and accused of involvement with the Islamic State.According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Tunisian man being sought in Germany had lived in the city of Dortmund with a man named Boban S. who has been arrested and accused of involvement with the Islamic State.
Boban S., in turn, is reported to have connections with Abu Walaa, the Iraqi who is known as “the man with no face,” because he often preached in Arabic and in poor German, with his back to the camera. The authorities arrested Abu Walaa on Nov. 8.Boban S., in turn, is reported to have connections with Abu Walaa, the Iraqi who is known as “the man with no face,” because he often preached in Arabic and in poor German, with his back to the camera. The authorities arrested Abu Walaa on Nov. 8.
Abu Walaa, who has also been identified by officials as Ahmed Abdulaziz A., made his base in Hildesheim, a city of 100,000 south of Hanover, where he drew an increasingly devoted following and even offered his own app in 2014.Abu Walaa, who has also been identified by officials as Ahmed Abdulaziz A., made his base in Hildesheim, a city of 100,000 south of Hanover, where he drew an increasingly devoted following and even offered his own app in 2014.
He was charged with recruiting terrorists and openly supporting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.He was charged with recruiting terrorists and openly supporting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Officials emphasized that they were not yet certain that the Tunisian man had carried out the attack, and officials cautioned against jumping to conclusions. On Tuesday, the authorities arrested a 23-year-old Pakistani man who had applied for asylum in Germany, but they released him hours later, citing a lack of evidence.Officials emphasized that they were not yet certain that the Tunisian man had carried out the attack, and officials cautioned against jumping to conclusions. On Tuesday, the authorities arrested a 23-year-old Pakistani man who had applied for asylum in Germany, but they released him hours later, citing a lack of evidence.
In a country where laws and traditions strongly emphasize personal privacy, the identities of the victims of the Berlin attack have barely begun to emerge. Ms. Merkel and other officials have emphasized that they did not want the attack to jeopardize Germany’s commitment to a free and open society, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reaffirmed that idea on Wednesday. “We want to uphold this way of life, and not let it be destroyed by anyone, not even whoever was responsible for what happened here,” he told reporters.
Christmas markets in major German cities appeared to heed a call by Mr. de Maizière, the interior minister, to stay open. In Bonn, crowds continued to show up under the watch of an increased police force. In cities like Dresden, the Berlin attack had its ominous presence felt with large obstacles to keep vehicles from getting among the stalls. The same was true in Vienna’s two famous markets, in neighboring Austria.
Laws and traditions in Germany strongly emphasize personal privacy, and the identities of the victims of the attack have barely begun to emerge.
One of the victims was a 65-year-old woman from Neuss, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to news reports.One of the victims was a 65-year-old woman from Neuss, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to news reports.
Fabrizia Di Lorenzo, an Italian transportation specialist who has been living in Germany for three years, has been missing since Monday, and her father, Gaetano Di Lorenzo, said he feared the worst.Fabrizia Di Lorenzo, an Italian transportation specialist who has been living in Germany for three years, has been missing since Monday, and her father, Gaetano Di Lorenzo, said he feared the worst.
“We are here with my wife, waiting for the DNA results,” he said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “We are waiting for confirmation, but I am not deluding myself.”“We are here with my wife, waiting for the DNA results,” he said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “We are waiting for confirmation, but I am not deluding myself.”
The daughter’s cellphone and transit pass were found near the scene immediately after the attack, her relatives and friends reported Tuesday on social media.The daughter’s cellphone and transit pass were found near the scene immediately after the attack, her relatives and friends reported Tuesday on social media.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attack “may have claimed the life of an Israeli citizen.” He was referring to Dalia Elkayam, who has been missing since Monday and whose husband, Rami Elkayam, was seriously injured in the attack.In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attack “may have claimed the life of an Israeli citizen.” He was referring to Dalia Elkayam, who has been missing since Monday and whose husband, Rami Elkayam, was seriously injured in the attack.
The first victim of the attack was a Polish truck driver, Lukasz Urban, 37, who had a wife and young child, and who was found dead in the cab of the truck. He had been stabbed and shot by whoever carried out the attack. Another victim of the attack was a Polish truck driver, Lukasz Urban, 37, who had a wife and young child, and who was found dead in the cab of the truck. He had been stabbed and shot by whoever carried out the attack.