2016 Berlin truck attack

2016 Berlin truck attack
Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe
Aftermath of the attack
2016 Berlin truck attack is located in Berlin
Breitscheidplatz
Breitscheidplatz
2016 Berlin truck attack (Berlin)
2016 Berlin truck attack is located in Germany
2016 Berlin truck attack
2016 Berlin truck attack (Germany)
LocationBreitscheidplatz, Berlin, Germany
Coordinates52°30′18″N 013°20′08″E / 52.50500°N 13.33556°E / 52.50500; 13.33556
Date20 December 2016; 7 years ago (2016-12-20)
20:02 CET (UTC+01)
Attack type
Vehicle-ramming attack, truck hijacking, stabbing, shooting, mass murder
Weapons
Deaths12
Injured56[1]
Perpetrator ISIS[2]
AssailantAnis Amri
MotiveIslamic terrorism and retaliation for German support of War against the Islamic State

On 19 December 2016, a truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured. One of the victims was the truck's original driver, Łukasz Urban, who was found shot dead in the passenger seat. The truck was eventually stopped by its automatic brakes.[3] The perpetrator was Anis Amri, an unsuccessful asylum seeker from Tunisia. Four days after the attack, he was killed in a shootout with police near Milan in Italy. An initial suspect was arrested and later released due to lack of evidence. Nearly five years after the attack, a man who was critically injured during the attack died from complications related to his wounds, becoming the 13th victim.[4] As of December 2023, this attack remains the worst Islamist terrorist attack by number of casualties in German history.[5]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video of the perpetrator, Anis Amri, pledging allegiance to the terror group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[6]

  1. ^ "Anschlag in Berlin: Zahl der Verletzten liegt nun offiziell bei 56". Berliner Zeitung (in German). 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ GmbH, Süddeutsche.de (31 May 2017). "IS drängte Amri zu Anschlag auf Berliner Weihnachtsmarkt". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Automatic brakes stopped Berlin truck during Christmas market attack". DW.COM. Deutsche Welle. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Berlin attack: First aider dies 5 years after Christmas market murders". BBC. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  5. ^ "BKA - Islamistisch motivierter Terrorismus/Extremismus". www.bka.de. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  6. ^ Prince, S.J. (23 December 2016). "WATCH: Anis Amri, 'Berlin Attacker,' Pledges Allegiance to ISIS". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.