Berlin police: 9 dead, at least 50 injured in truck crash

[no_hypocrisy]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/19/europe/berlin-christmas-market-truck/

A truck ran into a Christmas market Monday evening in a major public square in Berlin, killing nine people and injuring at least 50 others, police said.

A police spokesman described it as a "severe incident."

"A truck just ran over a sidewalk at #Breitscheidplatz Our colleague report multiple injuries. more to follow," Berlin police tweeted.

more

[LittleBlue]

1. Absolutely sickening

At some point we have to reckon with religious extremism and stop treating it like it will go away.

We can't just keep burying our head in the sand while people die.

[get the red out]

2. Yes

[Calculating]

3. +1

This shit is getting out of hand. It's gonna end up driving most of Europe to the far right if it isn't stopped.

[FrankfurtCat]

4. No words

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. Terrible day.

Between this and Switzerland and Turkey and the rubber stamping here in the US.

[Coventina]

6. Looks like a terrorist attack:

Wolfgang Bosbach, an MP with the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel’s party, told media:

Although there is a host of unanswered questions, indications are it was a deliberate attack, carried out not just with the greatest brutality and disastrous consequences but also with a deliberate symbolism. Just a few days before Christmas, in the middle of the German capital and amidst happy, peaceful people.The message is clear: no matter where, no matter how, we can pounce at any time.

[Coventina]

8. Update:

Police have said the juggernaut which crashed into the Xmas market had Polish number plates and belonged to a Polish delivery company. The company said the truck left Poland this afternoon heading to Berlin and that they lost touch with the driver at 4pm local time. It would appear that the lorry might have been hijacked.

[Coventina]

9. Further Update:

The lorry belongs to a Polish haulage company and is registered in Gdansk, according to local media reports. The owner of the company, named only as Ariel Z, gave an interview to Polish radio TVN24 on Monday evening, saying his cousin had been travelling to Berlin in the lorry. He wanted to spend the night in the city, Ariel said, adding he could not imagine his cousin causing the crash as he had had 15 years’ experience driving lorries.

[Coventina]

10. German police stating no further threats expected:

Berlin police have begun tweeting in English, noting that the “background” of the Christmas market incident is still unclear. Police also highlight that it is unknown if the person arrested was a driver of the truck.

Police note that the LKA, short for Landeskriminalamt, the state criminal police office, is investigating the incident and that there are “no indications of future dangerous situations” in the city.

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Well, now we just wait and see who this "suspicious person" is.
AP usually tries to get their reporting correct, and they stated it was the driver, but we shall see.....

[Coventina]

11. The hard right has certainly decided whom to blame:

Stefanie Bolzen, the London correspondent for German publication WELT, points out that Marcus Pretzell, a German politician and member of the European Parliament, has called those who died at the Berlin Christmas market “Merkel’s dead.”

Pretzell is the regional head of AfD, Alternative for Germany, the hard right-wing party that is anti-immigration.

[Coventina]

12. I think the police are now clamping down on information:

Berlin police say the passenger in the truck, previously described as a “co-driver,” was the one who died.

Nothing is known about their identity.

___________________________________________

All in all, probably the smart road to take, to keep from inflaming the situation.

[Coventina]

13. Comparison to the attack in Nice:

The attack was reminiscent of the massacre in Nice in July, where a Tunisian-born French resident, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, drove a 19-tonne truck down the city’s Promenade des Anglais into a crowd that had gathered for a Bastille Day firework display, killing 86 and injuring hundreds.

French authorities said that Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, had been inspired by Isis propaganda, but they say no evidence has been found that Isis orchestrated the attack.

[Coventina]

14. From Germany's Justice Minister:

Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted his condolences, and noted that the federal prosecutor will be responsible for the investigation:

“Shocking news from #Breitscheidplatz. We mourn with the families [of the victims]. The federal prosecutor is taking over the case.”

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ETA: Doubt this is an accident if it's now officially a federal case.

[Coventina]

15. Another Update from the Guardian:

From our Berlin correspondent:

The man was the co-driver/passenger died in an ambulance.

The lorry was registered to a company in Stettin, Poland. It was on its way back to Poland, having started its journey in Italy. It was due to unload in Berlin where the driver was due to have a break.

The head of the company has said the registered driver was his cousin. He’s said he’d put his hand in the fire that his cousin would not have been behind this attack. The strong suspicion is that the vehicle was hijacked at some point during its journey.

[Coventina]

16. Description of the area before the accident:

You know it’s the festive season when the area around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church starts smelling of roasted almonds, hot chocolate and mulled wine. More than 100 booths add a seasonal touch at this traditional Christmas market in the heart of City West.

Located on the festively decorated Breitscheidplatz between Kurfürstendamm and Zoologischer Garten, handmade crafts, Christmas decorations, winter clothing, children’s toys and lovingly crafted accessories are on display and ready to stuff your Christmas stocking.

There are also stands at the Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church offering hearty Thuringian bratwurst, sweet waffles, candied fruit and nuts – the whole range of seasonal treats. Mulled wine and homemade eggnog is served in the warmth of the conservatories and pavilions.

The small carousels cause children’s eyes to light up and add a nostalgic charm to the market.
________________

From the Guardian live update website

[malaise]

7. Horrible accident but anything is better than a terror attack

I'm not watching on US TV.

[oberliner]

22. Horrible accident?

It is quite likely a terrorist attack.

[Coventina]

17. SUMMARY and RECAP from the Guardian:

Just a recap of what we know so far:

Nine people have been killed and injuring up to 50 others after a truck rammed into a busy Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, Berlin according to police.
Police arrested one suspect found nearby, although it is uncertain if they were the driver. The passenger of the truck, sometimes described as a “co-driver,” died at the scene.
It is unknown if the event was an accident or a deliberate attack.
The US state department had issued a travel warning in November noting that it had “credible information” of terror attacks at Christmas and holiday events, including Christmas markets.
Police have asked locals to stay away from the scene and avoid posting videos of the incident online.

[Coventina]

18. Phone number for those missing a loved one:

If anyone you know is missing following the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market incident, Berlin police have a phone number available to call.

You miss someone?

call: 030 54023 111#Breitscheidplatz

[Coventina]

19. Another desecription of Germany's Christmas Markets:

Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly on the phenomenon of German Christmas markets:

Nothing epitomizes a German Christmas better than the Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market. The most famous are in Nuremberg and Dresden, but Berlin alone boasts around 60 of them, and thousands of others take place between the end of November and Christmas, across the country, a reflection of how seriously Germans take their Christmas.

At a time of year when the cold can be biting the Christmas Market is an absolute respite from weary winter days, attracting young and old alike, from families to work colleagues for whom it’s a popular place to gather for a pre-Christmas drink.

Glühwein - literally ‘glowwine’ or mulled wine - is the staple drink. There’s also a Feuerzangenbowle or rum punch, involving pouring hot rum onto a spit of solid sugar until it melts. Hot chestnuts, ginger biscuits, roasted almonds, fried sausages and candied fruits are the main food on offer, along with stodgier fare such as kale and spicy sausage.

In lit up wooden stalls, craftspeople sell their wares - everything from bespoke brushes and sheep skin rugs to designer jewellry and artisan cheeses. There are tight quality controls to ensure the markets don’t become magnets for trashy rubbish.

The Christmas markets have become one of Germany’s most popular cultural exports of recent years, with market organizers selling their concepts to cities across Britain and the United States. In cities like Birmingham and Leeds, where German craftsmen are dispatched to build the wooden stalls, they have become firm events in the Christmas calendar over the past decade.

They have long been seen as a soft target for terrorists. Some in the city, such as the Gendarmenmarkt have set up tight security cordons in recent years and charge an entry fee, offering the promise of tightened security. Others like that on Breidtscheidtplatz, which is right in the centre of the main shopping boulevard in the western centre of the city, have boasted of their openness.

[Coventina]

20. Polish Driver of Truck is missing:

Polish owner of Berlin truck says driver 'missing'

The Polish owner of the truck that plowed into the Berlin Christmas market killing at least nine people, confirmed to the AFP that his driver was missing.

“We haven’t heard from him since this afternoon. We don’t know what happened to him. He’s my cousin, I’ve known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him,” transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

Reuters reports that Zurawski fears the truck may have been hijacked. He said he last spoke with his cousin around noon. His cousin, the driver, told him he was in Berlin and was scheduled to unload the truck on Tuesday morning. The incident at the Berlin Christmas market took place on Monday evening.

Zurawki said that “they must have done something to my driver,” he told TVN24.

_________________________________________________________________________

ETA: So if the driver got there with the truck at noon, but he wasn't scheduled to actually unload until morning, and the truck careens at full speed into a Christmas market in the evening....and now the driver of the truck is missing.....it definitely sounds like the truck was stolen/hijacked for the attack.

[Coventina]

21. Merkel's spokesman speaks:

German chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted that Merkel was in contact with the interior minister and mayor about the “shocking” news of the Christmas market truck crash.

“We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped,” he wrote.

[Coventina]

23. White House Condemns "Attack"

White House condemns 'what appears to have been a terrorist attack'

A statement from the White House condemns “what appears to have been a terrorist attack” in Berlin, and noting that the US government has been in touch with German officials and offers assistance as required.

The statement by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price reads in full:

The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany, which has killed and wounded dozens. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, just as we wish a speedy recovery to all of those wounded. We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Germany. We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident. Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies.

_____________________________________________________________________

How long will they be our allies with Trump humping Putin?
Oh yeah, and he's going to dismantle NATO as well, right?