Italian Police kill Berlin Christmas Market suspect
Italian police and forensic experts gather around the body of suspected Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri in Milan - AFP. |
(Vatican Radio) Germany has expressed relief after Italian
police confirmed that they shot dead the man believed to be responsible for
this week's Berlin Christmas market truck attack that left 12 people dead and
49 injured.
Officials said the shooting happened after the suspect
pulled a gun on them during a routine check in the early hours of Friday.
The 24-year-old Tunisian Anis Amri travelled to Italy from
France, triggering a Europe-wide manhunt and criticism from euroskeptics over
Europe's open-border Schengen pact.
The Islamic State group acknowledged on Friday that Amri was
shot dead in a police shootout overnight in Milan when he tried to carry out
another attack.
It said he carried out Monday's rampage which involved
driving a truck deliberately into crowd killing 12 people and injuring nearly
50 more.
The group's news agency posted a video of Amri pledging
allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and calling for
supporters of the militant group to take revenge of what he called “crusader
pigs” bombing Muslims.
POLICE SURPRISED
An Italian police chief said his men had no idea they might
be dealing with Amri when they approached him at around 3 a.m. local time
outside a station in Sesto San Giovanni, a suburb of the northern city of
Milan.
Italy's Interior Minister Marco Minniti confirmed that
police later discovered they had killed one of Europe's most wanted men.
"After an investigation it was found that the person who was killed,
without a shadow of a doubt, Anis Amri the
presumed suspect in the Berlin lorry attack," he told reporters.
presumed suspect in the Berlin lorry attack," he told reporters.
Police said he was killed after taking out a pistol and
opening fire. He injured one of the police officers who is recovering in
hospital.
Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who spoke
with his Italian counterpart, expressed relieve that the attacker was no longer
a threat and praised Italian police. "I would like to especially thank
these two polices officers who, during this night, just as my Italian
colleagues have confirmed, worked excellently and were particularly
brave," he said.
"One of the police officers was injured in a very minor
way. I am very relieved that no more danger will come from this attacker,"
he added. "The Italian authorities have already carried out a fingerprint
recognition and could, thus, confirm the identity of the suspected
attacker."
He cautioned however that the terror threat "remains
high" in Germany and security won't be scaled down. Islamic State has
warned of more attacks in Germany and other European nations.
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