Truck attack on Christmas market in Berlin: 12 dead, 48 injured, attacker is a refugee

The number of victims of yesterday's attack in Berlin continues to rise. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday refused to call the tragic incident at the Berlin Christmas market a "terrorist attack", but stressed that "much points in that direction", while the death toll in the attack rose to 12, agencies report, as reported by Patria. 

"We want to be very, very cautious, and work based on the results of the investigation, not on speculation," De Maiziere said on ARD television.

German police announced that twelve people were killed and at least 48 injured, some seriously, in the truck attack on the Berlin Christmas market. The attack occurred on Monday evening, at the time when the largest number of people had gathered near the traditional stalls with Christmas products, food and drink.

The U.S. State Department issued a warning for all Americans planning to travel to Europe, especially during the holiday season.

The nationality of the suspected truck driver, who attempted to flee the scene but was later arrested, is not yet known, police said. The German news agency DPA reported, citing security sources, that the man suspected of the attack most likely came to Germany in February as a refugee, from Afghanistan or Pakistan. The man used different names and is therefore difficult to identify with certainty, security sources said.

The person who was in the passenger seat was found dead, but the circumstances of their death are not yet clear. Several German media reported that the truck - which plowed into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the very center of what was once West Berlin - had Polish license plates. Berlin police said they are investigating a lead that the truck was stolen from a construction site in Poland.