Berlin Christmas Market Attack

[Macintosh Manhattan 6,511]

At least nine people have been killed and many more injured, according to German police, after a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin in what is believed to have been a deliberate attack.A vehicle, a large black Scania articulated lorry, ran into the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church on Monday evening.German police said one person was found dead in the lorry, having died of injuries sustained in the crash, while a suspect was arrested about 100 metres away from the scene in the Tiergarten.

A witness told the Guardian that the truck ploughed into the market at speed. “It was not an accident. The truck was going 40mph. It was in the middle of a square, there are main roads either side, [where it could have come from]. But it showed no sign of slowing down,” said Emma Rushton.She said it crashed into a stall only a few feet from where she and her friend were standing. “We heard a massive bang. About eight to 10 feet in front of us was where the lorry ploughed through. It ploughed through the stall where we bought our mulled wine.“It ploughed through people and the wooden huts, it tore the lights down. Everything went dark, it was black and there was screaming. It was awful,” she said.

Rushton said they did not know if the incident was over once the truck stopped, so they stayed still. “The people in the huts were under it but they were pulled out and they were fine. We didn’t know if something else was coming.“We walked where the lorry had ploughed through and saw injured people and blood. We saw 10 to 12 people.”Another witness, Mike Fox, told the Associated Press that the truck missed him by about three metres as it drove into the market, tearing through tables and market stalls.“It was definitely deliberate,” said the tourist from Birmingham. He said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands.

A German government spokesman said Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was being briefed by the interior minister and Berlin’s mayor. Wolfgang Bosbach, an MP with the Christian Democrats, 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.”Berlin’s mayor, Michael Müller, said: “What we’re seeing here is dramatic and a shock to us all. We hope what our fears that his is an attack won’t prove true. Our thoughts are with the families of the injured and dead.”

Police said they could not confirm whether it was a deliberate attack or an accident. They said the truck had a run-up of about 80 metres and that the vehicle had a Polish registration, though they could not confirm whether or not that was authentic. Spokesperson Winfried Wenzel called the scene “devastating”.Officers said the lorry came from the direction of Budapester Strasse, over the pavement, coming to a halt by a Christmas tree in front of the church. Known locally as the jagged tooth, the church was bombed in the second world war, and left more or less in its ruined state as a memorial to the victims of the war. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in Berlin, and very close to the Berlin zoo.

Police have cleared the area and volunteers have set up an information point for relatives looking for news of missing loved ones. The Christmas market has been cleared, and a police spokesman said there are concerns the crash may have also caused a gas leak.A photograph posted by the Morgenpost newspaper showed damaged tables and stalls, while footage posted online by the same outlet showed a truck on the scene and police officers investigating. The Berliner Zeitung said police also believed there to be multiple injuries.Breitscheidplatz, where the market was set up, is one of Berlin’s busiest shopping areas.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in July in Nice, France, that left 86 people dead. A Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, striking down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day. The attack was claimed by Islamic State.Sven Gerling, a spokesman for the Berlin fire service, said: “At about 8pm, we saw a tragic accident happen here on Breitscheidplatz. A lorry drove through the crowds of people. There are many people injured, many seriously injured ... people have been killed.“We are at the scene with a large number of vehicles, the police are too. We are now going to ascertain the deaths, and look after the many injured. There are several resuscitations still going on. We are trying to save a number of lives.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/berlin-truck-crashes-into-christmas-market

[reputation 6,319]

if Merkel doesn't get their shit together I don't know how she's gonna win the next election

[velveteen 362]

I'm so shocked. As some of you may know, I live in Berlin and some good friends of mine (and actually me too) where at that specific place just a bit before the attack happened. It's absolutely terrifying. What is happening in this world? 9 innocent people died, even more got injured. But do you know what'll be just as bad as this? The refugees are gonna be blamed for it, once again. My school has refugee classes where I have volunteered a few times before, and it breaks my heart that these innocent people who already had to go through this much terror are gonna be portrayed as the culprits.

[bummersummer 2,218]

if Merkel doesn't get their together I don't know how she's gonna win the next election

 

how tf is this merkel's responsibility or fault?

[reputation 6,319]

how tf is this merkel's responsibility or fault?

Lots of Germany is unhappy with Germany's past and current decisions of immigrant. if she's striving to win the next election she needs to acknowledge these types of attacks instead of putting them to the side and worrying about banning a full veil

[Melania 2,386]

how can people be such monsters..

..i have no words.. i'm just tired.

[bummersummer 2,218]

@sexwithme yes, that's the populist far right take on it. their goal is either to acquire power or force a shift to the far right of government policies. this is similar to the kind of thinking that elected Trump. we have to resist it, not give in to it. like, we (europe) have a humanitarian catastrophe at our doors, and one that we + america essentially created. there is no other choice but to take refugees in.

[Melania 2,386]

Lots of Germany is unhappy with Germany's past and current decisions of immigrant. if she's striving to win the next election she needs to acknowledge these types of attacks instead of putting them to the side and worrying about banning a full veil

true

and if merkel doesn't win the next election, a right-wing party will win,

and we gonna have our own trump mess.

[Amadeus 11,333]

Lots of Germany is unhappy with Germany's past and current decisions of immigrant. if she's striving to win the next election she needs to acknowledge these types of attacks instead of putting them to the side and worrying about banning a full veil

did u read anything about this attack? the truck was polish car but no one knows if the driver was the original driver or if the truck got kidnapped. 

 

also the german press is a mess. u can't believe media never learns how to deal with this.. i guess it's better to show footage of 17 other terror attacks and speculate rather than try to cover the story in a more professional way where no one spreads useless panic. 

[velveteen 362]

Lots of Germany is unhappy with Germany's past and current decisions of immigrant. if she's striving to win the next election she needs to acknowledge these types of attacks instead of putting them to the side and worrying about banning a full veil

 

 

Though I agree with you that some things have to be optimized and changed in our politics, you can't simply put the blame on one person. It's not like our Frau Merkel can decide things over the head of the german population. She's simply the representative of our country. Decisions are made by a number of people in the Bundestag. 

[graham4anything 2,859]

oh so obvious Putin did this, he wants Merkel out and voila he attempts something that has (at least one person here wants her out

oh the timing is no coincidence. There are no coincidences in the political world. This was a hit job trying to send a message to bring Merkel down

(and so I believe was what happened in Turkey. Putin wants NATO nations gone and world instability up.

(plus Putin wants gas prices to rise, as he has been hurt by low prices

 

Spock logic.

 

The free world needs to fight for Merkel's and NATO's survival. This is a coordinated hit job

imho

[reputation 6,319]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/20/europe/berlin-christmas-market-truck/

 

ISIS claimed responsibility & the guy who did it is still at large. Stay safe, everyone

[SissyReed 578]

the terrorist also killed the driver of the truck before he stole it. the driver was polish actually so the truck was polish but it wasn't him.
although it is terrible what happened i hate how now all my xenophobic and racist country is hating on refugees even more :(

[Melania 2,386]

the terrorist also killed the driver of the truck before he stole it. the driver was polish actually so the truck was polish but it wasn't him.

although it is terrible what happened i hate how now all my xenophobic and racist country is hating on refugees even more :(

weeeeell of course i know not every refugee is like that, hell 99% aren't

 

BUT if we wouldn't have let them in this wouldn't have happened

[SissyReed 578]

weeeeell of course i know not every refugee is like that, hell 99% aren't

 

BUT if we wouldn't have let them in this wouldn't have happened

i mean we should check them more and not just let everyone in but even if some people don't agree with letting them in it doesn't mean they can post vulgar, obscenic and simply violent posts on facebook/other websites. i hate my country and people who live here and situations like that only show how terrible people they are, with no respect to others. racist, sexist, xenophobic country of catholic wankers

[reputation 6,319]

weeeeell of course i know not every refugee is like that, hell 99% aren't

 

BUT if we wouldn't have let them in this wouldn't have happened

I understand your point, but even if 99 percent of refugees and all killed one person we'd still be saving 1% of people. I think with a situation like this, death is needed for reform. not letting them in will result in them dying, bringing them in will also result in dying. it's just the way it is.  

[Melania 2,386]

I understand your point, but even if 99 percent of refugees and all killed one person we'd still be saving 1% of people. I think with a situation like this, death is needed for reform. not letting them in will result in them dying, bringing them in will also result in dying. it's just the way it is.

 

fair enough, but shouldn't a countrys first priority be to make sure it's own people are safe ?

[reputation 6,319]

fair enough, but shouldn't a countrys first priority be to make sure it's own people are safe ?

by that same logic of a country's priority to keep it's people safe, where would these people go? back to another country where it is more dangerous for them to live then them as a danger to where they used to live? I'm pretty sure they said the same thing during the holocaust. we see how that turned out

[Melania 2,386]

by that same logic of a country's priority to keep it's people safe, where would these people go? back to another country where it is more dangerous for them to live then them as a danger to where they used to live? I'm pretty sure they said the same thing during the holocaust. we see how that turned out

no, but we just shouldn't have taken everyone, we should have had stricter controls..

 

and if it endangers the countrys original citizens, who had nothing to do with it, then it's still not a good thing..

[reputation 6,319]

no, but we just shouldn't have taken everyone, we should have had stricter controls..

 

and if it endangers the countrys original citizens, who had nothing to do with it, then it's still not a good thing..

um.... the residents of Syria had nothing to do with the war. and who said it was a good thing? it's not. and not taken everyone? what do you mean? like, only taking women and children?