Berlin Christmas market attack
At 20:14 local time on 19 December 2016, a lorry loaded with steel beams was driven into the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz, near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 49 (BBC). The lorry's Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, 37, was found dead in the cab, and police said he appeared to have been the victim of a hijack. Police first detained a 23-year-old Pakistani man, who denied involvement and was released after questioning.
German prosecutors named Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, as the driver after finding his identity papers in the cab, and his fingerprints were later found there too. The BBC reported that he was known to German authorities and had used several identities. His asylum claim had been rejected, but he could not be deported because he lacked valid identity papers. So-called Islamic State said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack, without offering evidence. Amri was shot dead by Italian police near Milan on 23 December 2016 after he opened fire on officers during a routine check.
Brisbane woman Trisha O'Neill, who lived in Berlin, told the ABC she saw "blood and bodies everywhere" (reported by SBS and SMH). DFAT warned Australians to avoid the area and tried to find out whether any Australians were hurt. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia would do all it could to reduce the risk of attack here, but "we cannot mitigate all risk entirely" (SBS).
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