'Hard to bear' Berlin attacker is an asylum seeker: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said she believed the attack at Christmas market in Berlin which killed 12 people was a "terrorist attack" and it was "hard to bear" that the suspected attacker was an asylum seeker. Merkel visited the scene of the attack and said this was "particularly repugnant" because Germans are "dedicated" to helping refugees.


11.18am GMT
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Kate ConnollyIn her statement Merkel said she would visit the scene of the attack later today, together with Berlin?s mayor, Michael Müller, and the interior minster Thomas de Maizière.A stream of politicians have been visiting the area. Many commuters on their way to work have laid flowers and lit candles in the nearby Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church. The church was bombed in the second world war and was left in its damaged state as a memorial. It is known locally as ?the jagged tooth?. People are queuing up to sign condolence books.Updated
at 11.24am GMT


11.11am GMT
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Angela Merkel?s Bavarian political allies have called for a change to Germany?s immigration and security policy after the attack.  ?We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it,? said Horst Seehofer, the leader of Bavaria?s Christian Social Union, the sister party to Merkel?s Christian Democrats. Klare Worte von Horst #Seehofer zu dem schrecklichen Attentat am Berliner #Breitscheidplatz. pic.twitter.com/OTWOZlUTl5Updated
at 11.20am GMT


11.04am GMT
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Here?s what we know so far:Updated
at 11.31am GMT


10.51am GMT
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The suspect had a temporary residence permit since June 2016, according to the German newspaper Die Welt, citing a police criminal report. The report said that there continued to be a high threat from Islamic terrorism in Germany, but no concrete threat. A German security source said the suspect was a 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan known to police for committing minor offencesUpdated
at 11.16am GMT


10.44am GMT
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Kate ConnollyThe lorry used in the attack was taken away for examination about an hour ago, writes Kate Connolly. The space left behind showed traces of blood, market stall canopies, a collapsed Christmas tree, broken bottles, and other debris.The square, normally a busy Berlin intersection is eerily quiet, and continues to be cordoned off. Police are now examining the scene for further evidence.Updated
at 11.09am GMT


10.25am GMT
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Here?s more of Merkel?s statement: ?Twelve people, who were looking forward to Christmas and had plans for the festive season, are no longer among us. It is a terrible deed which one cannot understand. Many people who were injured are fighting for their lives. In these hours our first thoughts are for these people ? the dead, the injured, their families, their friends.?The whole of the country is with you in deep sadness ... many pray for you. ?I have great trust in the men and women that have worked since last night on solving this heinous deed. It will be solved, in every detail, and it will be punished, as severely as our laws demand. For now, there is little we know of this deed with certainty. ?But given the current information we have, we have to assume we are dealing with a terrorist attack. I know that it would be particularly hard to bear for all of us if it was confirmed that a person committed this crime who asked for protection and asylum in Germany. This would be particularly repugnant in the face of the many many Germans who have dedicated themselves day after day to helping refugees, and in the face of the many people who actually need our protection and try to integrate into our country.?I?m in constant contact with the minister of interior, De Maizière, with the president, and with the mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller. The security cabinet will convene in a few hours. ?Together with the mayor and the minister of the interior I will go to the Breitscheidplatz in the afternoon in order to pay our respects. Millions of people, including me, are asking how can someone take so many lives when we are celebrating life in the festive season. I don?t have an answer to this. We do not want to allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror. Although it might be difficult we will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany ? in freedom, openness and together.?Updated
at 11.40am GMT


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Merkel added: ?This unspeakable act will be as severely punished as the law will allow.?Updated
at 10.09am GMT


10.05am GMT
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Merkel says she will visit the scene of the attack after meeting her cabinet. 

10.05am GMT
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?We must assume it was a terrorist attack,? Merkel says. Updated
at 10.21am GMT


10.03am GMT
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Angela Merkel is giving a statement in Berlin. She described the attack as a ?terrible deed?, according a translation on Sky News. She said many of the injured were fighting for their lives. Merkel also thanked the emergency services and said she had a ?deep trust? in those investigating the attack. Updated
at 10.10am GMT
