Berlin attack: an overview in pictures
Authorities are investigating a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market, which has left at least 12 people dead and dozens injured. Here's what we know so far.
Police search for attacker
Police on Wednesday intensified a manhunt for the driver of a truck that plowed through a Christmas market crowd in a busy shopping district in Berlin on Monday night. The militant "Islamic State" group claimed responsibility for the assault. Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt urged people to be "particularly vigilant."
Searching for suspects
Police initially detained a 23-year-old asylum-seeker from Pakistan in connection with the attack. Authorities released him on Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence. Berlin police admitted they may have apprehended the wrong suspect. The driver of the truck is believed to be at large. Authorities said one or more fugitives were likely armed and dangerous.
City in shock
Many gathered to place candles, roses and signs near the site of the attack. Memorials to the victims arose just hours after a truck plowed into a Christmas market in the heart of the city. Police remain on high alert in Berlin - and across the rest of Germany.
'This was a terrorist attack'
Condolences have been pouring in from all over the world. "A country is united in mourning," Chancellor Angela Merkel told the nation on Tuesday morning. Calling it a terrorist attack for the first time, Merkel described the incident as "cruel and beyond comprehension."
Heightened police presence
Heavily armed police patrol the entrance to a Christmas market in the German city of Hamburg. The holiday markets in Germany remained open following the attack in Berlin, but with heavier police presence and tighter security measures.
What happened
A truck carrying steel beams drove straight into a crowded Christmas market in a popular shopping area in Berlin late Monday evening. This image is reminiscent of a similar attack in Nice last July, in which 86 people were killed when a man drove a truck through a crowd. In response to the Berlin tragedy, France has beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.
The victims
Police have confirmed 12 deaths so far - six of whom were German nationals. Another 49 people were wounded, some seriously. Rescue workers set up emergency tents on site after the attack. Many of the wounded have been able to leave the hospital.
Where it happened
Breitscheidplatz, the square in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, is a popular tourist destination. To the northeast of Breitscheidplatz is the Berlin Bahnhof Zoo, and to the south is the famous Kurfürstendamm shopping street.
Clean-up efforts
"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market," police said on Twitter on Tuesday. The truck has meanwhile been towed and taken in for a forensic examination.