In an apparent terror attack in Berlin, a truck has repeatedly plowed through a Christmas market. At least nine people have been confirmed dead and at least 50 more have been injured, according to news reports.
The truck had Polish plates, according to reports. CNN is reporting that one of the vehicle’s passengers was killed at the scene. The driver was arrested near the Berlin Zoo, according to reports.
The attack took place in Berlin’s fashionable Breitscheidplatz in the city’s central Charlottenburg district.
“It wasn’t an accident,” one witness told Sky News. “It was going 40 miles per hour, it was in the middle of the market. This was the middle of the market – no way was it deviating off a road, and there was no sign of it slowing down.”
Germany dodged a terrorist attack earlier this month when a 12-year-old German-Iraqi boy tried to plant an explosive device at a Christmas market. the device failed to detonate, according to a Sky News report.
Today’s incident is similar to an attack carried out in France in July. In that attack, Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel plowed along the beachfront in a 19-ton truck. The beach was packed with people who had gathered to watch Bastille Day fireworks, and Bouhlel killed 86 people. Police shot Bouhlel dead at the scene.