Berlin Christmas market attack suspect killed in Italy

Rome, Dec 23 (IANS/AKI) The suspect in the December 19 terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market, which claimed 12 lives, was on Friday shot dead near Milan in Italy, the media reported.

Anis Amri, who, according to the Islamic State terror group, was "a soldier", ploughed a lorry into the crowd of people at the Christmas market on Monday.

Amri was killed in a gunfight with police, Italy's Interior Minister Marco Minniti said.

"There is absolutely no doubt that the person who was killed was Anis Amri, the suspect in the terrorist attack in Berlin."

According to the anti-terrorism police, Amri arrived in Italy from France and then took a train to Milan.

He then continued to head for the Sesto San Giovanni neighbourhood, and ran into two police officers before being killed in a shootout when they tried to conduct a routine stop-check.

Amri, who carried no documents with him, was identified on the basis of his appearance and fingerprints after the shootout, anti-terrorism police sources in Milan said.

A police officer is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the shootout.

The 24-year-old Tunisian had been jailed for about three years in Italy for setting fire to a refugee centre, and after the Germany attack a reward of 100,000 euros (about $104,000) had been offered for information leading to his capture.

German government spokesman thanked Italy's authorities for their cooperation in the four-day manhunt for Amri following the deadly attack.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni informed German Chancellor Angela Merkel of Amri's death in Milan.

Amri's family said he was not at all religious when he lived in Tunisia and was converted to radical Islam in Italy while in prison.

--IANS/AKI

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