German Police Arrested Wrong Man After Berlin Attack

A truck rammed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin yesterday, killing nine people and wounding dozens more in what German officials said was suspected to be an attack.

IS said one of its “soldiers” had carried out the attack, in which 49 people were also injured, “in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries”.

Security sources believe he is a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker named Navid B, according to German media, who is reported to have arrived in Germany after crossing the border in Passau, Bavaria, on February 11 this year.

However, the Pakistani man was freed Tuesday after prosecutors couldn’t find evidence tying him to the attack.

“Regardless of what we may learn about the exact motives of the assailant, we must not let our free way of life to be taken from us”, the ministry said in a statement. The suspect, Jaber Albakr, later killed himself while in custody.

Twelve people were killed when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July’s deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice. The owner of the truck said he believed the vehicle may have been hijacked.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described herself as “shocked, shaken and deeply saddened” after what she said the government must assume was a “terrorist attack”.

According to the police, the passenger of the truck died on the spot, while a suspicious person was arrested near Breitscheidplatz following the incident.

As Germany mourns, flags have been flying at half mast. But it came less than a month after a U.S. State Department calling for caution in markets and other public places, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and Al Qaeda were focusing “on the upcoming holiday season and associated events”. “It might be hard in these hours, but we will find a strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany, in freedom and openness and together”.

One witness to the attack says she held the hand of a man who was laying on the ground with a head injury. That was claimed by Islamic State. In the second instance, a pedestrian alerted police after spotting the bag.

Members of a suspected British ISIS terror cell arrested last week might have links to the organisers of the Berlin Christmas market massacre, it was claimed last night. They have also said it is unclear if the perpetrator was acting alone or with others.