German Police Searching for Tunisian Suspect in Berlin Incident

German police announced they are searching for a young Tunisian man believed to be the driver of a truck that plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, December 19, killing 12 people. According to reports from Agence France-Presse, identification documents found under the seat of the 40-ton truck, which had Polish plates, are thought to belong to this Tunisian man named 'Anis A.' He is reportedly in his early 20s, known by three names, and was born in the city of 'Tataouine' in southern Tunisia. German newspapers have published various reports regarding his age and name. This individual applied for asylum in Germany in April 2016 and, as reported by the German newspaper 'Süddeutsche Zeitung', had obtained temporary residency in the country. According to this newspaper, he lived for a time in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia and was connected to an Islamist network led by a person named 'Abu Walaa Iraqi', who has recently been arrested. He had been missing since December 2016. An unnamed Tunisian official told the Associated Press that German authorities have requested information about this Tunisian man. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that German newspaper 'Rheinische Post' stated that police officers searching for this young Tunisian have inspected a refugee center in the city of 'Emmerich', in western Germany near the Dutch border. The previous suspect in the Berlin incident was a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan who was released by Berlin police on Tuesday evening due to a lack of sufficient evidence linking him to the terrorist operation. Thomas de Maizière, Germany's Interior Minister, announced that the condition of 14 out of 24 individuals hospitalized is critical, and they are fighting between life and death. Twelve people died following the entry of the 40-ton truck into the Christmas market in Berlin. Mr. de Maizière stated that officers are simultaneously pursuing several leads and must be allowed to complete their work. In an interview with ARD German television, he added that no one will rest until the perpetrators of this terrorist act are apprehended. The next day, the 'Amaq' news agency affiliated with the Islamic State claimed that 'a soldier of ISIS' carried out the Berlin operation targeting citizens of 'coalition' countries. Although Germany is one of the coalition countries led by the United States in the fight against this group in Iraq and Syria, no evidence has yet emerged to confirm the claims made by the Amaq website. Tunisia is one of the countries with the highest number of radical Islamists, with nearly 5,500 of its citizens reportedly participating in conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. The recent incident in Berlin has once again criticized Angela Merkel's open-door policy towards refugees. Merkel has announced that she will run for Chancellor for the fourth time in next year's elections.