A man prays in front of candles and flowers at candles at Breitscheidtplatz after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that the German authorities said came right out of the extremist group’s playbook.

The Monday night assault on the popular market near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of former West Berlin that left 12 dead and 48 injured was the first mass casualty attack by Islamic extremists carried out on German soil. Security forces were hunting for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

The claim of responsibility carried on the Islamic State group’s Amaq news agency described the man seen fleeing from the truck as “a soldier of the Islamic State” who “carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.”

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has stationed Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition that is fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man picked up near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, was taken into custody based on a description from witnesses of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled after the attack.

Even before his release, officials had expressed doubt the man was behind the attack.

“We may still have a dangerous criminal out there,” warned Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt, whose office urged people to be “particularly vigilant” and report “suspicious movement” using a special hotline.</s>SO-CALLED Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Berlin Christmas Market attack and described the perpetrator as an IS “soldier” in a statement.

The news comes after a man arrested following Monday’s incident was released, German prosecutors have said.

A Pakistani asylum seeker was arrested in the aftermath of the attack but denied any involvement, and police in Germany have admitted the person behind it may still be armed and at large.

It is understood the man was released because there was not enough evidence to link him to the attack and seek a formal arrest warrant to keep him in custody.

It came after federal public prosecutor Peter Frank said the “modus operandi” of the attack had echoes of July’s atrocity in Nice, in which 86 people died, and could have been the work of Islamic extremist groups, with the target of the attack “highly symbolic”.

But he told a press conference it was unclear if the attacker had an Islamist background, adding: “For now we don’t know whether there was one attacker or several attackers. We also don’t know whether they had support...

“We have to think that the person who was arrested yesterday, a man of Pakistani nationality, we have to be open to the idea that he could possibly not have been the attacker.”

While the attack at the heart of the German capital is being treated as terrorism, no organisation has come forward to claim responsibility, Mr Frank said.

Eleven people were killed when the articulated lorry careered through huts and stalls at the Christmas market near Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, along with a Polish man found shot dead inside the lorry’s cab.

Following the incident, police arrested a 23-year-old Pakistani man who arrived in Germany on December 31 last year. But Berlin’s police chief Klaus Kandt later said officials were unsure whether they have detained the right suspect.

Holger Munch, head of the federal criminal police office, said the attack marked the realisation of a threat authorities were already aware of, adding that the country is now on a state of “high alert”.

German chancellor Angela Merkel and senior officials visited the scene of the attack on Tuesday, laying white roses among candles at a makeshift shrine to the dead and injured.

Earlier Mrs Merkel said: “Millions of people, including myself, are asking ourselves, how can you live with the fact that, while celebrating the festive season where we want to celebrate life, somebody has come along and took so many lives? I only know that we do not want, and we cannot live with it.

“We do not allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror. Although this might be difficult in these hours, but we will find a strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany, in freedom and openness and together.”

Prime Minister Theresa May paid her own tribute, saying events in Berlin had “shocked us all” as she offered condolences to those affected.

The attack has led to heightened security concerns in the UK, though a Number 10 spokesman said there were “no plans” to change the UK’s security level, which currently stands at “severe” - meaning a terror attack is highly likely.

But police, including Scotland Yard, are reviewing preparations already in place to protect public events over the Christmas and New Year period.

Greater Manchester Police also said it had strengthened its presence at Christmas markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

Meanwhile, increased security measures will see some of London’s most famous streets around Buckingham Palace face closures for the next three months.

The restrictions have been planned for some time, but have been brought forward in light of the Berlin attack.

From Wednesday, Constitution Hill, the Queen Victoria Memorial, Spur Road, Link Road and The Mall - up to the junction with Marlborough Road - will be closed at specific times on the days of Changing the Guard.

Additional barriers will also be in place to maintain security for the guard movements, Scotland Yard said.

The closures follows a request from the Metropolitan Police as part of ongoing security measures.

The force highlighted to the The Royal Parks that due to the event’s high profile with a substantial military presence and attracting large crowds, the closures were a necessary precaution.

Met Commander Simon Bray, responsible for security, said: “The Met undertakes a range of different activities including strengthening security and high-visibility policing as part of a counter-terrorist strategy, and it will continue to take whatever action it believes is necessary to protect and reassure the public.

“Police continue to work in partnership to minimise disruption, but its priority is to ensure the safety and security of those who live, work and visit London.”

On the days of Changing the Guard road closures will be in place from around 10.45am to 12.30pm.

The threat to the UK from international terrorism remains severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The public is urged to be alert but not alarmed, and report anything suspicious to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321, but dial 999 in an emergency.</s>BERLIN — German investigators were searching Wednesday for the killer or killers in Monday's attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market after a man arrested soon after the rampage was released for lack of evidence and the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

Police in Berlin said they had received 508 tips on the attack as of Tuesday night, but it wasn't clear whether prosecutors had any concrete leads.

The attack on the market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the center of the capital left 12 dead and 48 injured. Shortly afterward, a Pakistani man who had come to Germany as an asylum-seeker was detained based on a description from witnesses of a suspect who jumped from the truck and fled.

However, the Pakistani man was freed Tuesday after prosecutors couldn't find evidence tying him to the attack.

The claim of responsibility carried on IS's Amaq news agency on Tuesday described the man seen fleeing from the truck as "a soldier of the Islamic State" who "carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters before the claim that the attack was reminiscent of July's deadly truck rampage in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by IS.

"We don't know for sure whether it was one or several perpetrators," he said. "We don't know for sure whether he, or they, had support."

Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said Wednesday it was "good to see that Berliners aren't being intimidated."

"I don't think there's any need to be afraid," he told ZDF television. "The police presence has been significantly heightened ... and of course other measures taken to find the perpetrator quickly."

Mueller argued that there are limits to increasing security, given the number of public spaces and events.

"It wouldn't be our free and open life any more if we escalated security measures so much that people worry about going anywhere, that there are strict entry checks," he said. "We don't want that. It must be appropriate and goal-oriented."

Referring to security measures, he added: "A lot has happened, and more certainly will."</s>BERLIN — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured, as German security forces hunted for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

IS said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker "in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they'd released a man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police haven't yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Before Islamic State claimed responsibility, Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the militant group.

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and traveling 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, knew immediately that this was no accident.

"I heard the truck crashing against the first stall," he tweeted Monday, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin.

"It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally," he posted.

His next tweet was chilling: "It has swept me and ran over both of my legs."

Ellakuria on Tuesday underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night's attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the Earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida, were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

Associated Press writers David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.</s>Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in which a truck ploughed into crowds in a Christmas market and killed 12 people.

“The executor of the operation.. in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic state and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries,” the militant group’s AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday.</s>Image copyright AP Image caption Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate was illuminated in the colours of the national flag in tribute to the victims

So-called Islamic State (IS) has said one of its militants carried out the lorry attack on a Berlin Christmas market, which left 12 people dead.

The identity of the attacker has not been established and there was no immediate way of verifying the claim.

German prosecutors have freed the only suspect, citing insufficient evidence. He was identified by media only as Pakistani national Naved B.

Officials suggested that a perpetrator or perpetrators might be on the run.

IS said through its news agency that one of its "soldiers" had carried out the attack, in which 49 people were also injured, "in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries".

German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere reacted cautiously to the claim, saying "several lines of investigation" were being pursued.

Before the suspect was released late on Tuesday, German officials said they could not be sure if he was involved in the attack.

Federal prosecutor Peter Frank told reporters that the style of attack and the choice of target suggested Islamic extremism.

In other developments:

The UN Security Council condemned "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack", saying "any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed"

Police in London brought forward plans to close roads around Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard ceremony, an event which regularly attracts large crowds

Real Madrid and Brose Bamberg basketball players observed a minute's silence for the victims before their Euroleague game at Sports Palace of Madrid

Police stepped up patrols at Christmas markets in cities across the world

IS opportunism? Analysis by Gordon Corera, BBC Security Correspondent

Image copyright AFP

The IS claim does not prove much in terms of the attack in Berlin. The group often refers to individuals who carry out attacks as its "soldiers" but the crucial question is firstly whether the individual had any form of direct contact with IS.

Face-to-face or online communication are possible but far from certain. If there was no direct contact, it could still be the case that an individual was inspired rather than directed by the group.

In this case, an individual may leave his or her own pledge of allegiance in written form or online or in a video.

But until such evidence emerges, it remains hard to know if this is just an opportunistic claim by the group rather than one based on real substance.

Islamic State group: The full story

Image copyright AFP Image caption Armed police patrolled French Christmas markets like this one in Reims

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A sniffer dig was used to check for explosives at Chicago's Christkindlmarket

Image copyright AP Image caption Police patrolled a Christmas market in the German city of Frankfurt

The sole suspect was captured in a park after reportedly fleeing the scene and being tracked by a member of the public, who alerted the police.

The lorry's original driver, Polish citizen Lukasz Urban, was found dead on the passenger seat, reportedly with gunshot and stab wounds to his body. No gun was recovered.

Image copyright Opozita.com Image caption An archive image has been released believed to show murdered lorry driver Lukasz Urban

Among those who suffered injuries in the attack was Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, the Associated Press news agency reports.

"I heard the truck crashing against the first stall..." he tweeted, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers. "It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally."

Later he tweeted (in Spanish): "It hurts every time I think about it. I didn't think I was going to overcome the pain."

On Tuesday, he underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

Commemoration

A vigil has been held at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, next to the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market which was attacked.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to punish those responsible for the attack "as harshly as the law requires".

She expressed concern that the attacker might turn out to be an asylum seeker: "I know that it would be particularly difficult for us all to bear if it turned out that the person who committed this act was someone who had sought protection and asylum in Germany."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Berlin resident Ibrahim Colak: "I saw whole bodies being twisted"

Her open-door policy on migration, which saw 890,000 asylum seekers arrive in Germany last year, has divided the country, with critics calling it a security threat.

The co-leader of Germany's anti-immigration AfD party, Frauke Petry, blamed Mrs Merkel's liberal policy on migrants, saying: "The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half."

More pressure on Merkel? BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Berlin

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images

For Angela Merkel the legacy of the Berlin attack will be political. It is not clear who the perpetrator was. But if it proves to be someone who came as a refugee she will face more pressure. She has stuck to her welcoming policy towards refugees fleeing war and persecution, and a majority of Germans have continued to back her.

But Mrs Merkel's political opponents, notably the far right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), have attacked her again following the Berlin attack, saying she has compromised Germany's security by letting in people without knowing who they are.

It is a charge they will seek to press as Germany gears up for federal elections next year. The AfD had surged in regional elections this year. But Germany's main parties have all said they will shun any question of sharing power with the AfD.

And Angela Merkel has seen her support rise in recent polls. It is why the issue of who carried out the Berlin attack is vital for Mrs Merkel and her vision of a free, open Germany.

Image copyright PA Image caption People gathered near the attack site in Berlin with candles on Tuesday to mourn the victims

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mrs Merkel (centre) and other politicians attended a commemoration in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The lorry attack at the Breitscheidplatz market left 12 people dead and 49 injured

Monday's incident mirrored the lorry attack on Bastille Day crowds in the French city of Nice on 14 July, which was also claimed by IS.

Both IS and al-Qaeda have urged their followers to use vehicles as a means to attack crowds.</s>The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured.

IS said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker “in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition”.

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refuelling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man arrested on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

However, police said they lacked sufficient evidence tying him to the rampage.

And federal prosecutors said late on Tuesday that he had denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Additionally, no witnesses had followed him from the scene to the spot where he was picked up.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal warrant which would keep a suspect in custody.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police had not yet found a pistol which authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain “particularly vigilant” and report “suspicious movements” to a special hotline.

“We may still have a dangerous criminal out there,” Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Germany’s top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July’s deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

“There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations,” Frank said.

Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack could not change Germans’ way of life.

“Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren’t among us anymore,” she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. “A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.”

Later, Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and travelling 60 to 80 metres before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck’s passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

“I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany,” Merkel said. “This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.”

A spokesman for Berlin’s office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city’s now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach said.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

“They must have done something to my driver,” he said.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an axe rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others which were unrelated to Islamic extremism have contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night’s attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

“Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security,” Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel’s conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliament’s biggest political group, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists did not enter the country.

The German government said Merkel spoke on Tuesday with US President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be “eradicated from the face of the Earth” and pledged to carry out that mission with all “freedom-loving partners”.

The attack came less than a month after the US State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida, were focussing “on the upcoming holiday season and associated events” in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On 14 July, a truck ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.</s>BERLIN — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured, as German security forces hunted for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

ISIS said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker “in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.”

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they’d released a man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police haven’t yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain “particularly vigilant” and report “suspicious movements” to a special hotline.

“We may still have a dangerous criminal out there,” Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Before Islamic State claimed responsibility, Germany’s top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July’s deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the militant group.

“There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations,” Frank said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans’ way of life.

“Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren’t among us anymore,” she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. “A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.”

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and traveling 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck’s passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, knew immediately that this was no accident.

“I heard the truck crashing against the first stall,” he tweeted Monday, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin.

“It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally,” he posted.

His next tweet was chilling: “It has swept me and ran over both of my legs.”

Ellakuria on Tuesday underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

“I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany,” Merkel said. “This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.”

A spokesman for Berlin’s office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city’s now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

“They must have done something to my driver,” he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night’s attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

“Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security,” Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be “eradicated from the face of the Earth” and pledged to carry out that mission with all “freedom-loving partners.”

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida, were focusing “on the upcoming holiday season and associated events” in Europe.</s>Police said Tuesday that the driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally and that they are investigating a suspected "terror attack."

The truck struck the popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church late Monday as tourists and locals were enjoying a traditional pre-Christmas evening near Berlin's Zoo station.

"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz," Berlin police said on Twitter.

"All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care," they said.

Hours earlier Germany's top security official had refrained from pointing to an intentional act, but said evidence pointed in that direction, while the White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack."

The crash came less than a month after the U.S. State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events."

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

After the Berlin attack, dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled. Authorities on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, to keep the streets clear for rescue vehicles.

Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

A suspect believed to be the driver was picked up about 2 kilometers (1½ miles) away, near the Victory Column monument.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio reported that the suspect was a Pakistani citizen who entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015. RBB-Inforadio cited unnamed security sources in its report, which concurred with those in other German media. Berlin police declined to confirm the reports, but Wenzel said the man was being interrogated.

The truck was registered in Poland.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was in contact with German officials and ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists, though it was unclear what that assessment was based on. He said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

But German officials said shortly after the attack that it was too early to call the crash intentional.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television. "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."

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.</s>Police said Tuesday that the driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally and that they are investigating a suspected "terror attack."

The truck struck the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday.

"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz," Berlin police said on Twitter.

"All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care," they said.

Numerous German media reported that the suspect, who was picked up about 2 kilometers (1½ miles) from the crash site, was a Pakistani citizen.

Footage showed the suspect, his head covered in a white sheet, being pushed into a police car shortly after the attack.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited security sources saying the man entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015. News agency dpa, also citing unnamed security sources, said he came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who said they would hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a large-scale search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport overnight. Four men in the late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack German officials were cautious in characterizing what had happened. "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television late Monday. "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."

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday's attack, blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel for what had happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel's conservative party and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political grouping, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didn't enter the country.

"The state must be able to check every refugee who comes here," he told German public broadcaster ARD.

French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux expressed his sympathy after the attack.

"We are all Berliners today," he told Europe-1 radio Tuesday. "In this type of situation, we need unity to face down terrorists, and on this occasion we need European unity. It must be strong, particularly strong."

The White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack." It came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

Berlin's mayor, Michael Mueller, planned to hold a news conference on the attack at 1 p.m. (1200 GMT). The archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, said he would hold prayers for the victims at the St. Hedwig Cathedral at noon.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility via Amaq News Agency for the truck attack in Berlin, Germany, which left at least 12 people dead and 49 injured.