Berlin suspect had been under surveillance
The prime suspect for the Berlin massacre was under covert surveillance for months as a possible terrorist threat until police let him slip through their grasp earlier this month.
Anis Amri, 24, a Tunisian asylum seeker who arrived in Germany last year, was investigated for “preparing a serious crime endangering national safety,” involving funding the purchase of automatic weapons for use in a terrorist attack.
Amri had been arrested earlier this year and was known to be a supporter of the terrorist group thought to be behind the Sousse terrorist attack in Tunisia, as well as being a suspected disciple of a notorious hate preacher.
He had multiple identity documents with six different aliases under three nationalities, and a criminal record in Italy and Tunisia. He spent four years in an Italian prison before travelling to Germany after an expulsion order expired.
The German authorities, who were facing serious questions Wednesday about how Amri was still at large, tried to deport him in June, but because he had no valid papers proving his nationality he was allowed to stay.
In a further twist, Germany had asked Tunisia to issue a new passport for him so he could be deported, but the document only arrived Wednesday — two days after the Christmas market attack that claimed 12 lives. It also emerged that the killer might have received hospital treatment for his injuries before slipping away.
As the hunt for Europe’s most wanted man continued:
The Polish lorry driver whose vehicle was hijacked and used in attack — claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — was being hailed a hero after police said it was possible he sacrificed his life to cut short the carnage;
Yet more pressure was piled on Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who was already facing criticism from opponents and supporters alike over her “open door” refugee policy that allowed migrants into the country without vetting;
Germany was poised to approve new surveillance laws in the hope of disrupting further attacks;
Police asked for “vigilance” as they said a second attack was possible;
Twelve of the most seriously injured people from Monday’s attack remained in hospital.
The hunt for Amri — whose name was found on documents under the driver’s seat in the cab of the lorry used in the attack — spread across the Schengen zone, the 26 European states that have abolished passport and border controls between the countries. Police conceded that the suspect could have travelled hundreds of kilometres since Monday night’s outrage.
His brother, Abdelkader Amri, said from his home in Tunisia: “When I saw the picture of my brother in the media, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’m in shock, and can’t believe it’s him who committed this crime. If he’s guilty, he deserves every condemnation. We reject terrorism and terrorists — we have no dealings with terrorists.”
Police are believed to have found Amri’s blood in the lorry’s cab.
They now assume that whoever was driving the lorry was badly injured, either when pieces of wood smashed through the windscreen or in a fight with Lucasz Urban, the Polish driver.
Squads of officers have been to every hospital in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg trying to ascertain if the killer was treated in any of them.
Urban’s injuries suggested he may have been alive as the lorry plowed into Christmas shoppers, having perhaps been assumed dead by the hijacker who had stabbed and beaten him.
It gave rise to the theory that he grabbed the steering wheel, forcing the lorry off its intended course through the middle of the crowd and potentially saving countless lives. His life came to an end when he was shot in the head by the hijacker.
— The Daily Telegraph