RBB reported attacker came to Germany in Dec 2015 from Pakistan
\nBERLIN
\nThe truck that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 49, was driven by a Pakistani or Afghan refugee at the crowd deliberately in a presumed terrorist attack, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
\nThe truck drove between 50 and 80 metres through the market at the historic Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church late Monday, near one of the German capital\u2019s ost popular shopping streets.
\nThe suspected driver, who fled the scene, was taken into custody shortly afterwards a few kilometres away. Police have not released details on his identity but BBC quoting security officials said he is Pakistani or Afghan origin.
\nPublic broadcaster RBB reported he came to Germany in December 2015 from Pakistan.
\nThe suspect was known to police for minor criminal offences, but not terrorist activity, the Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.
\nInterior Minister Thomas de Maiziere refused to label the incident a terrorist attack, though he said \u201ca lot points in that direction.\u201d
\n\u201cWe want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the investigation results, not with speculation,\u201d he told broadcaster ARD.
\nA man found dead in the passenger seat of the truck, which was owned by a Polish company, was later identified as a Polish citizen. It was not clear how he died. Police said he had not been behind the truck\u2019s wheel when it drove through the market.
\nThe company\u2019s owner, Ariel Zurawski, told Polish broadcaster TVN 24 that the truck had earlier in the day been driven by his cousin, who had been transporting steel to Berlin and had not been reachable since the late afternoon.
\nGerman police said later they were working on the assumption that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RBB reported attacker came to Germany in Dec 2015 from Pakistan BERLIN The truck that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 49, was driven by a Pakistani or Afghan refugee at the crowd deliberately in a presumed terrorist attack, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. The truck drove between 50 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n