German Interior Minister: The Arrested Individual Linked to the Berlin Attack is a 23-Year-Old Refugee

Thomas de Maizière, the German Interior Minister, stated on Tuesday, December 30, that the suspect arrested in connection with the truck attack on the Christmas market in Berlin is a 23-year-old Pakistani refugee named 'Nawid B.'. Meanwhile, 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 on the run. According to a report by the Associated Press, the arrested individual entered Berlin via the Balkan route in February and had been residing in a temporary refugee accommodation in Berlin, using various names and known to the police for minor offenses. On Monday, a large Scania truck sped into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring at least 48 others. This market is located at Breitscheidplatz near the important Kurfürstendamm street in western Berlin. Submitted images show a truck with shattered windows and debris from destroyed wooden stalls and fallen Christmas trees left behind. Local German newspapers report that the Pakistani national left the scene after the Christmas market incident, and a citizen pursued him, informing the police of his location, leading law enforcement to successfully arrest the suspect two kilometers away from the incident. The arrested individual denies the charges against him. Reports also indicate that following this incident, the police conducted a large search operation at the temporary refugee accommodation at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, where the suspect had been residing, and interrogated four individuals, but no one was arrested during this operation. The German police have refrained from responding to these reports, stating that the necessary answers will be provided by federal prosecutors at their press conference on Tuesday afternoon. According to Agence France-Presse, officers found a Polish national in the aforementioned Scania truck who, according to Brandenburg's Ministry of the Interior officials, had been shot and died shortly after receiving medical assistance. The Polish owner of the company to which the truck belongs has also told Polish media that he believes the truck was stolen and 'something happened to its driver.' According to Reuters, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, stated on Tuesday regarding the Berlin attack that 'there are still many issues we do not have enough information about, but based on current information, we must assume this was a terrorist attack.' Mrs. 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 had requested protection and asylum from us, it is truly painful.' The German Chancellor promised to clarify all details of this incident and to punish the individual responsible for this attack 'with full legal force.' Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, reacted to the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin by stating that 'ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continue to kill Christians in their communities and sacred places as part of their global jihad.' He emphasized that it is necessary to end the lives of 'terrorists and their regional and global networks' with the help of 'freedom-loving allies.' Less than a month ago, following the discovery and neutralization of ISIS's plans for a new terrorist act in France, the U.S. warned its citizens in Europe about attending outdoor celebrations and markets. The event on Monday in Berlin is similar to an attack that occurred in Nice, France, last summer, where a truck driver plowed into a crowd gathered to watch the Bastille Day celebration, 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. In this context, the likelihood of the 'intentionality' of the truck attack on people in Berlin has increased, as has Trump's reaction to the truck attack in Berlin and the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara.