ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images(BERLIN) — The Berlin truck attacker is still on the run Wednesday morning, and authorities warn that the suspect is likely armed. Authorities believe the suspect is still in Germany.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack, claiming the suspect is “a soldier of the Islamic State,” according to a statement released by the terrorist group’s Amaq News Channel.
On Tuesday night, German prosecutors released the man they had initially arrested in connection to the attack because of insufficient evidence. The man was a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker, police said.
In the back of the Polish-owned tractor trailer used in the attack, the truck’s Polish driver was found dead with gunshot wounds. No gun was recovered at the site, suggesting that weapon may still be with the attacker.
As the manhunt intensifies Wednesday, police are asking eyewitnesses to come forward with any information. Police say they’ve received 508 tips so far, of which 80 they deem “serious.”
Police are warning the public to be extra vigilant in Berlin but also across Europe where thousands of tourists will visit Christmas markets this week. Berlin’s Christmas markets are open again, and Germany’s interior minister has urged Germans to visit and “buy an angel.”
In a security message, the U.S. embassy told American citizens in the region “to maintain good situational awareness, a low profile, and exercise vigilance.”
The State Department has said there are no American victims at this time, but many of the victims in the hospital remain unidentified.
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