Suspect of bombing in Berlin killed by police in Milan

Rome, Dec 23, 2016 (AFP) - Italian police killed the alleged perpetrator of the attack at a Christmas fair in Berlin late on Thursday night in Milan, northern Italy, ending a four-hunt Days in Europe.

The man killed by the police is "undoubtedly" the alleged perpetrator of a Christmas market in the German capital, which killed 12 people and injured 50 others, the Tunisian Anis Amri, said in Rome the Italian Interior Minister, Marco Minniti.

The Islamic State extremist group, which claimed the attack, confirmed through its propaganda agency Amaq that the man killed by Italian police during an exchange of gunfire was responsible for the bombing in Berlin.

The extremist group's agency has also released a video in which Amri swears allegiance to the EI. In the video, the man, who appears standing and dressed in a shelter on what appears to be a catwalk over a river, speaks directly to the camera. It explains its intention to avenge the Muslims victims of aerial bombings and calls for attacks to the crusaders.

The date and location of the recording, which lasted three minutes, were not disclosed.

The 24-year-old suspect had been on the run since he drove a truck on Monday night against the crowds that frequented the market.

Amri was approached by a two-patrol patrol when he drove "suspiciously" near the Sesto San Giovanni train station, the interior minister said at a news conference.

The Tunisian "had no documents, was a ghost," according to the Milan police chief, Antonio de Iesu.

He had no cell phone, he carried a small knife and a few hundred euros, "Iesu said, admitting that the patrol did not know that it was the extremist.

According to police reports, Amri "was calm" when the police "asked him to empty his backpack." Then, with a sudden gesture, he pulled out a loaded 22-gauge pistol, ready for use, and fired, Of the two agents, who was hospitalized, but is well.

The patrolman reacted, injuring him on the side, which caused his death after 10 minutes.

The shooting occurred during the first hours of this Friday, at 3am.

Along with the suspect was found a train ticket indicating that he embarked in Chambery in the north of France and passed through Turin before arriving in Milan.

Germany 'relieved' In Berlin, the German government reacted saying that the suspect's death was "a relief".

"There is evidence that it is really this person," that is, the Tunisian Anis Amri, and "if this is confirmed, the Interior Ministry will be relieved that this person is no longer a danger," said the door "Voice of the binder, Tobias Platte.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the immediate danger has been dropped, but that the terrorist threat continues.

"We may be relieved that the immediate danger has been ruled out," Merkel said in Berlin, but "the terrorist danger as a whole remains present, as it has for several years."

Before settling in Germany in July 2015, Anis Amri spent four years in Italy, shortly after arriving from Tunisia on the island of Lampedusa in 2011. He was convicted of setting fire to a school and spent several years in prison in Italy.

The German court had officially issued an arrest warrant against the Tunisian.

His fingerprints were found on the truck used in the attack in Berlin. And an identity document that belonged to him was found in the cabin of the vehicle.

After the attack, the man managed to escape.

'Systemic failures'

In Germany, the controversy has only increased since the attack on the aftermath of the Berlin tragedy, which revealed troubling administrative and policing deficiencies at all levels: Anis Amri was long known for its Islamic radicalization and its peril and yet, Was never detained or expelled.

The young Tunisian was also never really bothered even though he was under criminal investigation on suspicion of preparing for an attack. Authorities knew he was in contact with Salafists and he traveled around the country using false identities.

A specialist in jihadism, Professor Peter Neumann of Kings College in London, speaks of a "systemic failure."

"Once the dust comes down, I think we need to ask fundamental questions" about counter-terrorism mechanisms in Germany, he said.

German police have been heavily criticized for having focused their attention for 24 hours after the attack on a Pakistani suspect, finally innocent.

On Tuesday morning, Amri's documents were found in the truck, but the search alert was issued only at dawn on Wednesday, giving the suspect time to disappear.