From LINKS Community Center
Created:
Reviewed:
Reviewed:
On the evening of December 19, 2016, a truck crashed into the Christmas market at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz. 12 people were killed and at least 56 injured.
Hazard:
TerrorYear:
2016Location:
Berlin, GermanyCategory
Real-world
Theme
Social Media
Thematic
- Making Information Accessible
- Mobilising Citizens
Disaster Management Phase
After, During
Description
On the evening of December 19, 2016, a truck crashed into the Christmas market at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz. 12 people were killed and at least 56 injured. The driver of the truck was a 23-year-old Tunisian who belonged to the terrorist group Islamic State. The perpetrator stole the truck and shot the driver. He was able to flee the scene and was shot dead by local authorities in Milan on December 23. As it turned out afterwards, the assassin was already known to the German security authorities and classified as an Islamist threat. Accordingly, the demand for a reappraisal of the case became greater and greater, so that a parliamentary investigative committee was appointed to investigate the case.