iStock/Thinkstock(BERLIN) — At least 12 people were killed and 48 others injured after a truck drove into a Christmas market in a public square in Berlin, according to police.
The incident holds obvious similarities to the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France this July, when a man drove a rented truck into a crowd, killing scores of people.
“Just now a truck just drove over the sideway at #Breitscheidplatz. Our colleagues report injured people. More information here,” Berlin police tweeted.
Berlin police said a suspect was arrested after the incident but did not specify whether this was the driver of the truck.
A passenger in the truck died at the scene, police said.
The background of the incident was unclear, and the criminal office is taking over the investigation, according to police.
White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price described the incident as an apparent “terrorist attack.”
“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,” the statement reads.
Price added that the U.S. has reached out to Germany in an effort to aid in the investigation.
“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,” he said.
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