Berlin Attack Suspect Released

The German Attorney General's Office announced on Tuesday, December 30, that the suspect in the murder of 12 people in Berlin has been released. According to Reuters, the Attorney General's Office stated that the investigation has concluded and there is no basis for this individual to be found guilty. The report indicates it has not been proven that he was in the truck at the time of the incident. A large Scania truck entered a Christmas market in Berlin at high speed on Monday, December 29, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others. Previously, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière stated that the suspect arrested in connection with the truck attack at the Christmas market in western Berlin is a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker named 'Nawid B.' However, Klaus Kandt, the head of the Berlin police, told reporters that it is still unclear whether this individual, who was arrested on the street, was the driver of the truck in question. According to him, the main 'dangerous individual' may still be at large. The arrested individual, who entered Berlin via the Balkan route in February and resided in a temporary asylum facility, had been known to the police for minor offenses and had used various names. Local German newspapers reported that the Pakistani national left the Christmas market after the incident, prompting a citizen to chase him and report his location to the police, leading to his arrest two kilometers away from the scene. Reports indicate that the arrested individual denied the charges against him. Meanwhile, police conducted a large search operation at the temporary asylum facility at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, where the suspect had been residing, interrogating four individuals, but no one was arrested in this operation. The German police refrained from commenting on these reports, stating that federal prosecutors would provide necessary answers at a press conference. In related news, according to AFP, officers found a Polish national in the mentioned Scania truck who had been shot and, despite receiving medical assistance, died. The Polish owner of the company to which the truck belongs told media that he believes the truck was stolen and 'something happened to its driver.' According to Reuters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented on the Berlin attack on Tuesday, stating that 'there are still many things we do not have enough information about, but based on current information, we must assume this was a terrorist attack.' Merkel, who has faced severe criticism for her refugee acceptance policy, added, 'I know that if it is confirmed that the attacker was someone who requested our protection and asylum, it would be truly painful.' The Chancellor promised to clarify all details of the incident and punish the perpetrator 'with full legal force.' Meanwhile, Christmas markets in Berlin were closed on Tuesday, coinciding with a memorial ceremony for the victims of the incident. Reports indicate that security measures have been heightened in all German cities for Christmas markets and large gatherings. Security measures have also been increased in several other countries, including the UK, Italy, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Austria. In this context, Austrian prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a Moroccan refugee had been arrested in their country on suspicion of planning an attack on the Christmas market in Salzburg. The arrested individual is 25 years old. The incident on Monday in Berlin is similar to an attack that occurred this summer in Nice, France, where a truck driver plowed into a crowd gathered to watch the Bastille Day celebrations, killing 86 people. The perpetrator of that attack was identified as a Tunisian-French citizen, and shortly thereafter, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.