At least 12 killed, 48 hurt by truck at Berlin holiday market; possible suspect arrested

BERLIN, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- At least 12 people died and dozens were injured Monday when a truck driver, allegedly intentionally, plowed through a group of people gathered at a holiday market in the German capital, authorities said.

The commercial truck ran into revelers at the holiday market in Breitscheidplatz, on the west flank of Berlin near a major rail station.

At least one person inside the truck was killed, Berlin police said, however he was not at the wheel when the truck drove through the crowd. Police pulled the the driver out of the cab of the truck alive, however, and are treating him as a suspect in the "presumed terrorist attack."

"We are in mourning for the dead and hope that the many injured can get help," Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said.

"My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and those injured in this terrible incident," German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said. "I am in constant contact with the security forces in Berlin and have offered them every possible assistance from the federal police."

"What we are witnessing here is dramatic. My thoughts are with the families, who are grieving over someone dead or injured," Berlin Mayor Michael Müller said.

Facebook set up a safety check page after the incident for potential victims to communicate with loved ones.

"Although there is a host of unanswered questions, indications are it was a deliberate attack, carried out not just with the greatest brutality and disastrous consequences but also with a deliberate symbolism," German Parliament member Wolfgang Bosbach said. "Just a few days before Christmas, in the middle of the German capital and amidst happy, peaceful people.The message is clear: no matter where, no matter how, we can pounce at any time."

German police and rescue workers process the scene of a deadly incident in Berlin Monday, after a truck crashed into a holiday market. Investigators reportedly believe the incident was a deliberate attack reminiscent of a similar truck plot in France in July. Photo by Michael Kappeler/European Pressphoto Agency

Authorities weren't initially sure why the driver allegedly targeted the holiday market. A similar incident in Nice, France, in July killed more than 80 people at a Bastille Day celebration. While the Islamic State did not claim the Nice attack, experts say the use of a truck or vehicle to kill by driving into a crowd is one the militant group has been endorsing for some time.

The truck belonged to a Polish freight company, officials said, and the vehicle may have been hijacked for the purpose of an attack. The Polish company told police it lost contact with its driver sometime prior to the incident, The Guardian reported.