Police say they believe truck ‘deliberately’ driven into crowd
Twelve people killed and 48 injured at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz
Suspect arrested after truck ‘stolen’ in Poland
Full report: suspect held and 12 dead in truck crash, officials say
10.25am GMT
Here’s more of Merkel’s statement.
10.07am GMT
Merkel added: “This unspeakable act will be as severely punished as the law will allow.”
10.05am GMT
Merkel says she will visit the scene of the attack after meeting her cabinet.
10.05am GMT
“We must assume it was a terrorist attack,” Merkel says.
10.03am GMT
Angela Merkel is giving a statement in Berlin. She described the attack as a “terrible deed”, according a translation on Sky News. She said many of the injured were fighting for their lives. Merkel also thanked the emergency services and said she had a “deep trust” in those investigating the attack.
9.59am GMT
Christmas markets will stay closed today in memory of victims of last night’s attack, Germany’s interior ministry has announced.
Die Weihnachtsmärkte in #Berlin sollen heute aus Rücksichtnahme auf die Opfer geschlossen bleiben. Weitere Infos: https://t.co/iAIYPxvvDJ
9.47am GMT
World leaders, including Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, have continued to express their horror at the attack and pass on their sympathy to the families of the victims.
Pensées aux victimes de #Berlin ainsi qu'à leurs familles. Ons medeleven aan alle slachtoffers, hun families en alle Duitsers. #begov pic.twitter.com/lwqZziAiG6
Condolences to the families & relatives of all those who were killed or injured in #Berlin. We stand united with the victims in deep sorrow. pic.twitter.com/m56QieNqVM
Deepest sympathies to all those affected by the attack in Berlin. Appalling loss of innocent lives in what should be a time of celebration
Our heart goes out to the people of #Berlin and #Germany -JM
9.34am GMT
London’s Metropolitan police say they are reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the Christmas period in light of both the Berlin attack and the assassination in Ankara of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey.
A statement said: “The Metropolitan police has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period. These already recognise that the [terrorist] threat level is at ‘severe’, meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.
9.28am GMT
There is an unconfirmed report that one of the 12 people killed in the attack was shot, presumed to be the Polish passenger in the truck. The report, in the German magazine Focus, cites Brandenburg’s interior minister, Karl-Heinz Schröter.
+++ Brandenburgs Innenminister teilt mit - Polnischer Beifahrer wurde offenbar erschossen … https://t.co/qDA2NS3QOv pic.twitter.com/haPY3kTkcr
9.19am GMT
The right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) has claimed Germany is no longer safe and that its Christian tradition is under attack, writes Kate Connolly.
Terror has now arrived in our midst. The radical Islamic terror has hit us right in the middle of Germany. A lorry weighing several tonnes was deliberately steered into a crowd of people. Dozens of people looking forward to Christmas and wanting to celebrate have been crushed and some of them very seriously injured.
We cannot be under any illusion. The milieu in which such crimes are able to thrive has been imported here systematically over the past one and a half years.
9.10am GMT
There is an unconfirmed report in the German tabloid Bild that the suspected attacker was a 23-year-old from Pakistan named Naved B.
Bild said the man arrived in Germany about a year ago.
9.02am GMT
German chancellor Angela Merkel is due to make a statement about the attack at 11am (1000 GMT) according to reports.
Chancellor #Merkel will give a statement at 11:00 today following the #TruckAttack in #Berlin.
#Merkel sagt Wahlkreis-Besuch ab - Erklärung zu vermutlichem Anschlag am #Breitscheidplatz um 11 Uhr. https://t.co/3D7RQ8xR9i
8.54am GMT
German media is reporting that the suspect, according to unnamed German authorities, entered the country via the so-called Balkan refugee route earlier this year.
His exact identity is not known, and it is being reported that he has held several identities. Die Welt newspaper is reporting that he came from Pakistan.
8.52am GMT
Stephan Mayer, home affairs spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, acknowledged the attacker could have come to Germany as a refugee.
8.43am GMT
Have you been affected by the Berlin Christmas market attack?
GuardianWitness is looking for accounts, photos and videos or news tips, our article is here, or you can contact us on WhatsApp on +447867825056.
Related: Have you been affected by the Berlin Christmas market attack?
8.25am GMT
Ukip’s former leader Nigel Farage is blowing his dog whistle again. He claimed “events like these will be the Merkel legacy”.
Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.
8.16am GMT
German government prosecutors have taken over responsibility for investigating the Breitscheidplatz attack.
Der Generalbundesanwalt hat die Ermittlungen zum #Breitschreidplatz übernommen. Auch die weitere Pressearbeit wird nun von dort erfolgen.
7.53am GMT
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
7.46am GMT
Thomas de Maizière, the interior minister, has ordered that flags fly at half-mast across Germany today. The ruling applies to all official buildings.
The boss of Germany’s police trade union, Oliver Malchow, has told Bavarian Broadcasting that it would never be possible to have “100% security” at the country’s 2,500 Christmas markets, which take place “at least twice a week” in every German town.
7.39am GMT
The UK’s shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, has expressed solidarity with those affected by the attack in Berlin:
Our thoughts are with all those killed and injured in the horrific incident in Berlin, and with their families. We stand united in sorrow and solidarity with all the people of Germany, as well as with all those affected by today’s attacks in Switzerland and Turkey.
Christmas is above all a time for peace and togetherness, and if what we have seen in Berlin and elsewhere today are shown to be deliberate, terrorist attacks, let us remember that our peace and togetherness are exactly what these evil individuals are trying to destroy, and that we must never let them succeed in that aim.
7.33am GMT
Die Welt has reported that at around 4am (3am GMT) police special commandos stormed a hangar at the disused Tempelhof airport in southern Berlin.
No further details are yet available.
7.26am GMT
It was only as dawn approached on Tuesday that Berlin police confirmed they were investigating the crash that has killed 12 people and wounded 48 as a “suspected terror attack”. In a series of tweets, officials said:
Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz.
All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care.
I don’t want to use the word ‘attack’ yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it.
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
7.14am GMT
The US state department issued a warning in November for American travellers in Europe, specifically advising caution during “the upcoming holiday season and associated events”, including markets:
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 …
US citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathisers or self-radicalised 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.
7.06am GMT
Vigils will be held today for the 12 people killed in the attack on the Christmas market.
From 11am (10am GMT), members of the public are invited to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, at the scene of the devastation, to sign a book of condolence.
6.47am GMT
A report from Polish business news site money.pl says the firm that owns the truck used in the Berlin attack has been able to glean some information about its movements from satellite tracking.
The report cites an employee saying “someone was turning the vehicle on and off as if they were trying to get it going” before it travelled to the market at Breitscheidplatz.
We have no information what is happening with our driver. In the media, it’s reported that there were two people in the cabin. We only have one person there, who was going to Berlin and was supposed to unload there.
At 15.44 someone tried to turn it on. Over the next hour nothing happened. The next attempt to get it started took place at 16.52 and the engine turned over until 17.37. In that time, the vehicle did not move. Apparently there were several more attempts. Then the lorry began moving at 19.34 and moved from Berlin.
It was not being turned on in order to warm the engine and the cabin because the drivers were cold. That uses another system. It looks like someone was trying to learn how to drive this vehicle and had difficulties getting it moving.
6.32am GMT
Philippe Pradal, the mayor of Nice, where an attacker mowed down dozens of people with a truck on Bastille Day, killing 86, has tweeted about the apparent similarities between Nice and Berlin.
#Nice06 #Berlin. Même mode opératoire. Même violence aveugle. Même haine des gens heureux. Plus que jamais, combattre l'obscurantisme.
6.19am GMT
A police press conference is to take place at 1pm local time (noon GMT) on Tuesday at which more details will be given.
The lorry is due to be transported from the scene to be taken for more forensic tests.
6.07am GMT
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
Related: Police investigate Berlin truck crash that killed 12 as 'presumed terrorist attack'
5.56am GMT
No details have yet been released about the identities of the 12 people known to have been killed in Berlin.
A man found dead in the truck has been ruled out by police as the driver at the time of the attack. Police say he was a Polish citizen.
5.41am GMT
Berlin police say they will be moving the truck from the Breitscheidplatz to secure the evidence and for forensic testing.
They ask people not to distribute photos of the move, “out of respect”.
5.30am GMT
Police have now confirmed that they are treating events in Berlin as “presumed terrorism” and are working on the assumption that the truck was “intentionally” driven into the crowd.
Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister, said earlier on Monday night that officials were being cautious in labelling it as a terror attack:
We are interrogating a suspect. We don’t know anything yet about the background but we won’t rest until this has been totally clarified.
I don’t want to talk about an attack, though much points to it.
German Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere: 'We won't rest until this is fully investigated' #Breitscheidplatz #Berlin pic.twitter.com/8EXL1W0Deh
5.07am GMT
Berlin police are now calling this a “presumed terrorist attack”:
Alle polizeilichen Maßnahmen zu dem vermutlich terroristischen Anschlag am #Breitscheidplatz laufen mit Hochdruck und der nötigen Sorgfalt.
4.56am GMT
Berlin police say their investigation is now working on the assumption that the truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market:
Unsere Ermittler gehen davon aus, dass der LKW vorsätzlich in die Menschenmenge auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt am #Breitscheidplatz gesteuert wurde
4.42am GMT
The mayors of London and Paris have expressed their solidarity with Berlin:
My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific events in Berlin tonight. London stands with you in solidarity and support.
Die Pariser Bevölkerung ist solidarisch mit den Opfern, ihren Familien, und mit ihren Berliner Brüdern und Freunden. #Berlin
Ce soir, Paris est en deuil aux cotés de #Berlin et de toute l'Allemagne.
4.28am GMT
The Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz fell silent as the truck came to a halt, an eyewitness has told Press Association:
Jan Hollitzer, 36, said he heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls, but that the market was “really silent” as “shocked” shoppers looked on at the aftermath.
Hollitzer, deputy editor-in-chief of local news outlet Berliner Morgenpost, said he saw “more than one” person lying underneath the truck.
4.08am GMT
The man who was found dead in the truck did not control the truck that drove to the Christmas market #Breitscheidplatz
I don’t want to use the word ‘attack’ yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it.
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
3.37am GMT
Some updated information from Berlin police: according to the information so far, the Polish man found dead inside the truck was not the person who drove it into the Christmas market.
Der im LKW tot aufgefundene Mann steuerte nach bisherigen Erkenntnissen nicht den LKW,als der in die Menschenmenge am #Breitscheidplatz fuhr
3.21am GMT
Berlin police now say the man found dead inside the truck – whom they earlier identified as Polish – was not the driver.
It is not at this stage clear whether they mean that he was not the person who drove the truck into the market, or if they are ruling him out as the original Polish driver.
3.06am GMT
The sequence of events is not yet fully known, but here is what we know so far about the events of Monday and its aftermath:
2.48am GMT
Doctors treating patients across Berlin are reporting a high number of fractures and internal injuries, including internal bleeding and damaged organs, among the 48 wounded.
One doctor said operations would be going on through the night, with a number of the injured in a life-threatening state.
2.31am GMT
Breitscheidplatz is one of Berlin’s busiest shopping areas, particularly at this time of year when Christmas markets are in full swing.
Police said the lorry came from the direction of Budapester Strasse, over the pavement, before coming to a halt by a Christmas tree in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm church.
2.16am GMT
In the hours after the tragedy, police stated repeatedly that they did not yet know whether it had been a tragic accident or a sinister attack. A group of stallholders on the southern side of the market were convinced they had heard police say the truck’s driver had simply fallen asleep at the wheel. How could anyone want to deliberately crash a truck into such a scene of peace?
But as midnight drew near and more details emerged in the aftermath of the crash – with the person thought to be the driver arrested after reportedly fleeing the scene into nearby Tiergarten – it became harder and harder to avoid seeing a motive behind Monday night’s deadly rampage.
1.55am GMT
Police have so far released no details about the identity of the man arrested.
Police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said the man was being interrogated, after he was picked up by officers about 2km away from the Breitscheidplatz.
1.44am GMT
Berlin police say the person found dead inside the truck is a Polish citizen.
The truck is Polish-registered and the driver – who has not yet been named – was due to be taking a rest-break in Berlin. Colleagues said they had not heard from him since early on Monday afternoon.
#Ermittlungsstand: Bei dem im LKW am #Breitscheidplatz tot aufgefundenen Mann handelt es sich um einen polnischen Staatsbürger.
1.41am GMT
The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, says authorities are on alert after events in Berlin.
German police have not yet confirmed any motive or explanation for the truck crash that has killed 12 people, but the White House earlier referred to it as an apparent terror attack.
We are very attentive to events internationally to ensure that we learn from them and make sure that we put measures in place to anticipate similar occurrences here.
We are intensifying the steps that we have already set in place to ensure that we have the protective measures to respond to attacks such as that that we’ve seen in Berlin.
1.23am GMT
I don’t want to use the word ‘attack’ yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it.
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
1.07am GMT
Italy’s foreign minister, Angelino Alfano, has said he is “deeply stricken and pained” by the deaths in Berlin, Associated Press reports:
Though German police say it is too early to call whether the incident was intentional, Alfano refers to it as an attack.
In a statement provided by Italy’s foreign ministry, Alfano expresses closeness to Germans “in this sad moment that instead should be of joy and peace in the approach to the Christmas holidays”.
12.55am GMT
Twelve people are now confirmed to have died, with 48 injured:
Traurige Gewissheit, heute verloren am #Breitscheidplatz 12 Menschen ihr Leben, 48 liegen, zum Teil schwer verletzt, in Krankenhäusern.
12.48am GMT
By midnight, as streets all around the German capital were still echoing with the sound of sirens, an unreal calm had descended upon Breitscheidplatz in the heart of Berlin’s central shopping district. Christmas lights were still sparkling, and groups of tourists ambled down the Kurfürstendamm boulevard, seemingly unaware as to why armed police officers were ushering them along.
The dark-blue truck that had ploughed through the northern edge of the square’s busy Christmas market at around 8pm – killing at least nine and injuring around 50 – was resting lopsided on the pavement, with only its smashed window pane and a mangled Christmas tree beneath the vehicle’s wheels telling of the force of its deadly ride.
#Berlin Christmas market #Breitscheidplatz closed off tomorrow. Not decided yet, if other markets open @dwnews pic.twitter.com/XtE7YA5cOY
12.32am GMT
The German federal president, Joachim Gauck, has issued a statement:
In my thoughts I am with the victims, with their families and with all those who fear for the safety of their friends and relatives.
I thank the emergency services and the security forces for their hard work.
12.25am GMT
A spokesman for the Berlin police confirmed they have arrested a suspect:
We’ve had a description of the driver, who was on the run at first.
Because of this description, one suspect could be arrested.
12.16am GMT
Witnesses at the Breitscheidplatz have been speaking of the moment the truck sped into crowds browsing the Christmas market.
Australian Trisha O’Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
We sat just behind the stall having a mulled wine and then all of a sudden there was a big boom.
I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.
12.01am GMT
Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, has said he is not yet ready to call the incident at Breitscheidplatz an “attack” but added that there are indications that it was intentional.
He told ARD television:
I don’t want to use the word ‘attack’ yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it.
There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.
11.55pm GMT
The Polish company that owns the truck has said its driver is missing. Its transport manager, Lukasz Wasik, told AFP news agency that the driver is 37 years old and had been transporting Thyssen steel products from Italy to Berlin.
The company where he was supposed to unload the products in Berlin was not able to receive them and told him to return on Tuesday morning. They told him to wait in Berlin somewhere.
We lost contact with him around 3pm local time [2pm GMT]. We don’t know what happened – whether he was taken hostage, killed. We know nothing. We’re very worried about him.
11.39pm GMT
US president-elect Donald Trump has issued a statement on the events in Berlin, which he calls a “horrifying terror attack”:
Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today’s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.
11.30pm GMT
Rescue work at the site has concluded. The official death toll still stands at nine.
Police say 45 people have been taken to Berlin hospitals for treatment.
The fire department @Berliner_Fw endet their rescue work at #Breitscheidplatz. 45 partially heavily injured were brought to Berlin hospitals
11.29pm GMT
Berlin police have said they suspect the truck was stolen from a construction site in Poland. Investigations into what happened to the truck – and its driver – are ongoing.
They say a suspicious item that was earlier being investigated has been cleared as a sleeping bag,
11.23pm GMT
11.15pm GMT
A number of videos have emerged showing the immediate aftermath of the truck ramming into the crowd at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market.
One 10-minute video, which we’re choosing not to link to, shows bodies lying on the ground and the wreckage of market stalls. People are tending to the injured, with Christmas decorations and lights scattered around them. The person filming the video walks through the market, showing the path of wreckage, then the damaged truck, surrounded by police.
Scene at the #Berlin Christmas market after semi truck plows into crowd. Several injured. pic.twitter.com/jG2L5uaLJZ
11.04pm GMT
The Berlin police just confirmed that there were steel beams on the “load plattform”, which we believe is a slightly garbled English translation for the truck’s trailer.
#stateOfTheInvestigation
The truck at #Breitscheidplatz has a Polish license plate. There are steel beams on the load plattform.
10.58pm GMT
French president François Hollande tweeted his condolences to Germany:
“I express my solidarity and compassion to Chancellor Merkel, to the German people and to the families of the victims of Berlin,” he wrote.
J'exprime ma solidarité et ma compassion à la Chancelière Merkel, au peuple allemand et aux familles des victimes de Berlin.
10.48pm GMT
Mike Fox, a British tourist, has just told the N24 television channel that he had gone to the market and was drinking glühwein (mulled wine) with his girlfriend when the lorry sped towards them. He said he saw nothing that would have prevented it from ploughing into the market.
Lorry just ploughed through Christmas market in #berlin. There is no road nearby. People crushed. I am safe. I am safe pic.twitter.com/63iWMmdSKr
10.42pm GMT
The truck, manufactured by Scania, is believed to have been loaded with steel when it left Italy for Berlin, which according to transport experts would have made it even more deadly.
10.36pm GMT
Berlin police tweeted that they have blocked a nearby street to the Breitscheidplatz incident to “check a suspicious item”.
The street it is referring to, Rankestrasse, runs directly to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which is where the truck ran into the Christmas market, leaving at least nine dead.
Please bypass #Breitscheidplatz spaciously. Our colleagues currently block Rankestr. and check a suspicious item.
10.31pm GMT
A statement from the White House condemns “what appears to have been a terrorist attack” in Berlin, and noting that the US government has been in touch with German officials and offers assistance as required.
The statement by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price reads in full:
The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany, which has killed and wounded dozens. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, just as we wish a speedy recovery to all of those wounded. We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Germany. We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident. Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies.
10.26pm GMT
German chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted that Merkel was in contact with the interior minister and mayor about the “shocking” news of the Christmas market truck crash.
“We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped,” he wrote.
Entsetzliche Nachrichten vom #Breitscheidplatz. Kanzlerin #Merkel ist mit Innenminister und Reg. Bürgermeister im Kontakt. (1)
#Breitscheidplatz - Wir trauern um die Toten und hoffen, dass den vielen Verletzten geholfen werden kann. (2)
10.23pm GMT
The Polish owner of the truck that ploughed into the Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people, confirmed to the AFP that his driver was missing.
“We haven’t heard from him since this afternoon. We don’t know what happened to him. He’s my cousin, I’ve known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him,” transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.
10.12pm GMT
Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly on the phenomenon of German Christmas markets:
10.03pm GMT
If anyone you know is missing following the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market incident, Berlin police have a phone number available to call.
You miss someone?
call: 030 54023 111#Breitscheidplatz
9.56pm GMT
Here are some photos from the scene:
9.53pm GMT
Just a recap of what we know so far:
9.48pm GMT
My colleague Kate Connolly has noted that the main website of Berlin tourism, Visit Berlin, offers an explanation of how what the Breitscheidplatz market consists of:
You know it’s the festive season when the area around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church starts smelling of roasted almonds, hot chocolate and mulled wine. More than 100 booths add a seasonal touch at this traditional Christmas market in the heart of City West.
Located on the festively decorated Breitscheidplatz between Kurfürstendamm and Zoologischer Garten, handmade crafts, Christmas decorations, winter clothing, children’s toys and lovingly crafted accessories are on display and ready to stuff your Christmas stocking.
9.45pm GMT
From our Berlin correspondent:
The co-driver or passenger of the truck died in an ambulance.
9.43pm GMT
A Berlin photographer and social media news producer, Mischa Heuer, has been tweeting photos of how the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market looked like just one week ago.
The Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz is one of the major tourist attractions in #Berlin. This is what it looked like. pic.twitter.com/raR2P5iwXe
This is Breitscheidplatz a week ago. On the left corner of the photo that's where the truck plowed into the Christmas market. #Berlin pic.twitter.com/PSMWLWPdPh
This is the Breitscheidplatz a week ago. It's one of the most beautiful Berlin Christmas markets and popular among tourists. #Berlin pic.twitter.com/JrMQuvamBS
9.38pm GMT
The Berlin state interior minister has just noted that the reasons for a truck ramming into a Christmas market and killing nine people is still unclear and it is not known if it was an accident or a deliberate attack.
The Berlin Police have also been tweeting that the background is still unknown and to “not spread rumors.”
9.32pm GMT
Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted his condolences, and noted that the federal prosecutor will be responsible for the investigation:
“Shocking news from #Breitscheidplatz. We mourn with the families [of the victims]. The federal prosecutor is taking over the case.”
Schockierende Nachrichten vom #Breitscheidplatz. Wir trauern mit den Angehörigen. Der Generalbundesanwalt übernimmt den Fall.
9.22pm GMT
This from our World Affairs editor Julian Borger:
The attack was reminiscent of the massacre in Nice in July, where a Tunisian-born French resident, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, drove a 19-tonne truck down the city’s Promenade des Anglais into a crowd that had gathered for a Bastille Day firework display, killing 86 and injuring hundreds.
9.18pm GMT
Berlin police say the passenger in the truck, previously described as a “co-driver,” was the one who died.
Nothing is known about their identity.
The passenger of the truck, who drove to the Christmas market at #Breitscheidplatz, died on the spot.
9.16pm GMT
Stefanie Bolzen, the London correspondent for German publication WELT, points out that Marcus Pretzell, a German politician and member of the European Parliament, has called those who died at the Berlin Christmas market “Merkel’s dead.”
Pretzell is the regional head of AfD, Alternative for Germany, the hard right-wing party that is anti-immigration.
Only minutes after alleged attack: MEP and regional head of AfD Marcus Pretzell calls victims at #Berlin #Breitscheidplatz "Merkel's dead" https://t.co/V3MEnzyabY
9.13pm GMT
Berlin police have begun tweeting in English, noting that the “background” of the Christmas market incident is still unclear. Police also highlight that it is unknown if the person arrested was a driver of the truck.
Police note that the LKA, short for Landeskriminalamt, the state criminal police office, is investigating the incident and that there are “no indications of future dangerous situations” in the city.
The background is still unclear. Our #LKA takes the investigations. #Breitscheidplatz
A suspicious person was arrested near #Breitscheidplatz. Whether it is the driver of the truck, is currently under consideration.
Currently, there are no indications of further dangerous situations in the city near #Breitscheidplatz.
9.11pm GMT
The lorry belongs to a Polish haulage company and is registered in Gdansk, according to local media reports. The owner of the company, named only as Ariel Z, gave an interview to Polish radio TVN24 on Monday evening, saying his cousin had been travelling to Berlin in the lorry. He wanted to spend the night in the city, Ariel said, adding he could not imagine his cousin causing the crash as he had had 15 years’ experience driving lorries.
9.10pm GMT
Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly notes that off-duty doctors across Berlin are being brought in to tend to the many injured.
9.06pm GMT
The German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, told reporters:
My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and those injured in this terrible incident. I am in constant contact with the security forces in Berlin and have offered them every possible assistance from the federal police.
9.03pm GMT
This in from Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly
Police have said the juggernaut which crashed into the Xmas market had Polish number plates and belonged to a Polish delivery company. The company said the truck left Poland this afternoon heading to Berlin and that they lost touch with the driver at 4pm local time. It would appear that the lorry might have been hijacked.
8.58pm GMT
Berlin’s mayor, Michael Müller, reacted with shock at the attack. He said police had the situation under control, adding: “What we are witnessing here is dramatic. My thoughts are with the families, who are grieving over someone dead or injured.”
8.56pm GMT
Facebook launched a “safety check” for users in Berlin to “check in” and confirm they are safe, following the Christmas market truck crash.
8.53pm GMT
Berlin police continued to ask residents to stay away from the area, tweeting:
We need all rescue routes. Please do not come to #Breitscheidplatz. Please keep the streets clear for us. #thank you
Wir brauchen vor Ort alle Rettungswege. Bitte kommen Sie nicht zum #Breitscheidplatz. Bitte halten Sie die Straßen für uns frei. #danke.
8.51pm GMT
Wolfgang Bosbach, an MP with the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel’s party, told media:
Although there is a host of unanswered questions, indications are it was a deliberate attack, carried out not just with the greatest brutality and disastrous consequences but also with a deliberate symbolism. Just a few days before Christmas, in the middle of the German capital and amidst happy, peaceful people.The message is clear: no matter where, no matter how, we can pounce at any time.
8.47pm GMT
A co-driver of the truck that plowed into the Berlin Christmas market died during the crash, a police spokesman said on N24 television, according to Reuters.
The other suspected driver was arrested near the scene, the AP reports.
8.44pm GMT
German Police have arrested the suspected driver of the truck that rammed the Christmas market in Berlin, leaving nine dead, according to a police spokesman on N24 television, Reuters reports.
8.38pm GMT
Berlin police is calling on residents to stay at home and to not “spread rumors” about the truck crash at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market.
The police tweeted:
Bitte helfen Sie uns. Bleiben Sie zu Hause & verbreiten Sie keine Gerüchte. Folgen Sie uns hier für wichtige Infosl. #Breitscheidplatz
8.31pm GMT
The Guardian’s Berlin bureau chief, Philip Oltermann, is on the scene.
Truck that burst into side of Christmas market at Breitscheidtplatz, in front of Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church pic.twitter.com/bbXEcrUJAv
8.25pm GMT
From Kate Connolly, the Guardian’s Berlin correspondent
According to latest news reports in Berlin a lorry plowed into a Christmas market this evening, driving over a pavement and crashing into market stalls and knocking people over. The market is one of Berlin’s most popular, on Breitscheidplatz in the western centre of the city.
8.25pm GMT
Nine people have now died and “many” are injured after a truck rammed a Christmas market in Berlin, police have just confirmed.
It’s not immediately clear if the incident was an accident or some kind of terrorist attack.
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