It is certainly not part of " German pranks" and because of the gravity of the situation, people are not laughing. A dramatic twist, however, to the horrific Berlin crash reveals that the German police may have arrested the wrong suspect responsible for the gruesome, deliberate act of a truck smashing into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaisen Wilhelm memorial church that left 12 people killed and 48 others injured,18 of which severely so.
German police has said that the 23-year-old Pakistani they had earlier arrested believed to be the driver of the truck that mowed through Berlin Christmas market has denied the offense and may not be the " right man", after all. The Berlin police has tweeted that because of the arrested man's denial, they were " particularly alert", and has called on the public to remain alert as well.
Die Welt newspaper quoted a police chief source who requested not to be named as confirming that they have arrested the wrong suspect. The source said that because of that, they are now facing a new situation. The police officer then let out the real danger posed by the wrong arrest: "The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage", said the newspaper's unnamed police chief source.
The truck involved in the horrible incident was traced to a Polish freight company. The real driver of the truck was found dead in the vehicle. The pistol used to kill the driver has yet to be found, though.
Initially, German government leaders were hesitant to label the incident as a terrorist attack, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has changed the tone as she told reporters that as much there are still a lot of things they do not know about the incident, as things stand now, they can assume that it was a terrorist attack.
The truck mowing incident in such a busy Christmas market led politicians and other people to demand a crackdown on immigration, and especially called on the lady Chancellor for a change in her immigration policies. Under Merkel's immigration policies, more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany the past two years. The record influx of refugees as a result of Merkel's openness has adversely affected her ratings, while public support is turning to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfG). Senior AfG member Marcus Pretzell said on Twitter that Merkel should be blamed for the attack. AfG leader Frauke Petry also said that Germany was no longer safe and that " radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany."
Merkel, for her part, admitted that it would be hard for everyone to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed the crime was someone who sought and was granted protection and asylum in Germany.
Nigel Farage of Britain's UK Independent Party and Brexit leader also scored Merkel for the attack. He tweeted: " terrible news for Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be Merkel legacy."
