A fatal truck crash has been reported in the German capital. On the night of December 19, a truck plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin resulting in multiple injuries and deaths. The AFP reports that 50 people have been injured and that “several” are dead. A tweet from the Berlin police says that nine people have been killed.
The driver has been taken into custody, and a passenger in the cabin of the truck was killed, authorities said. It has not yet been confirmed to be an act of terrorism.
The nature of the incident is eerily similar to the July 2016 truck attack in Nice that claimed the lives of 86 people.
Truck ploughs through Christmas market in Berlin. At least one dead, many injured. First video from @morgenpost reporter.
The BBC reports that authorities in Berlin believe it was a “deliberate attack.” The market is known as Breitscheidplatz. The network quoted a reporter at the location describing it as a “gruesome scene.”
American officials had warned of a “heightened” risk of attacks on European Christmas markets as ISIS loses grip on key strongholds like Raqqa and Mosul, The Telegraph reported in November.
“We don’t think they are going to become an organisation that no longer presents a danger once Raqqa and Mosul are taken away,” Colonel John Dorrian, spokesman for the US-led coalition against ISIS, said in a statement. “What they are going to do is devolve into the type of terror organization that we’ve known they were all along and continue to try to do external operations and try to motivate lone wolf attackers.”
The State Department issued a warning you can read below:
The Department of State alerts US citizens to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season. US citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets.
Credible information indicates the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil or Da’esh), al-Qaeda, and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events.
US citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning. Terrorists may employ a wide variety of tactics, using both conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests.
The Berlin incident comes just hours after Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead in Ankara. A policeman named Mevlut Mert Altintas has named as the gunman.
Read more about the attack in Berlin in Spanish at AhoraMismo.com: