The Tunisian suspect believed to be behind the Christmas market attack in Berlin, Germany, was gunned down in shootout in Milan, Italy, on Friday, a security official said. Authorities on Thursday had found 23-year-old Anis Amri’s fingerprints on the truck that he drove through a crowded market on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens.
Amri shot and injured a police officer after he was asked for an ID, Italian news agency ANSA reported, according to Reuters. A video posted on the website of Italian magazine Panorama indicates that the shootout took place before dawn. Police can be seen gathered in the dark in a neighbourhood they cordoned off.
Earlier, there were conflicting reports on the suspect’s whereabouts. The Danish Police had tweeted on Friday that a man matching Amri’s description was spotted in Aalborg in northern Denmark. “There is absolutely no doubt that the person who was killed is Anis Amri,” said Italy’s Interior Minister Marco Minniti at a press conference.
Amri had provided multiple fake identities and nationalities in the past and is believed to have links to Abu Walla, a recruiter for the Islamic State group who was arrested in Germany in November. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the attack. Amri had entered Europe in 2012 through Italy and had been living on a temporary permit in Germany since 2015.
A Pakistani-national was arrested immediately after the attack as a suspect, but the police had later released him, saying he was the wrong man.
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