What We Know About The Berlin Attacks

On Monday evening, a truck jumped a Berlin sidewalk curb and drove through a crowded Christmas market, killing at least nine people, according to local police. There are 50 wounded.

Police have arrested a “suspicious person,” but have not confirmed they are the driver the truck. A passenger in the truck was found dead in the cab.

Details are still emerging, but eyewitness accounts indicate it was a deliberate attack. At approximately 3:45 PM EST, area police posted an update on Twitter stating they are still investigating whether this was an accident or an attack.

The event took place at a popular Christmas market located next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a popular tourist destination.

Television footage from The Associated Press shows a large truck with a smashed windshield parked on the sidewalk next to the market. A Christmas tree topped with a gold star lays nearby while ambulances swarm into the gap.

“It was definitely deliberate,” said witness Mike Fox, a tourist from Birmingham, England, to The Associated Press at the scene. He added the truck barely missed him by about three yards as it ripped through market’s picnic tables and wooden stands.

Fox said he attempted to help multiple people with broken limbs, and that others were still trapped underneath the Christmas stands.

Another witness, Jan Hollitzer, told Al Jazeera that the truck managed to dram about 55 yards into the market before coming to a stop.

“It was really horrible, there were many casualties and injured people,” he said. “I saw people hit by the truck and also people under the truck … I can tell you those are images you don’t want to see.”

The truck was traveling “very fast” through an area intended for pedestrians, Hollitzer added.

Police and rescue workers have blocked access to the market itself, and firetrucks and ambulances are currently swarming the scene.

Next, check out out why terror attacks fell worldwide yet surged 650 percent in the developed world last year, before understanding why Pope Francis says it’s wrong to equate Islam with terrorism.

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