Berlin police are investigating a “presumed terrorist attack” after at least 12 people were killed and about 50 injured when a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in the city on Monday evening, The Guardian reported.

They are interrogating a suspect – thought to be the driver – who was arrested 2km from the scene and are working on the assumption the black Scania articulated truck was deliberately driven into the busy market in Breitscheidplatz.

The truck had a runup of about 80 metres before crashing into market stalls and shoppers outside Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, at about 8pm.

A man found in the truck was ruled out by police as the driver at the time of the attack. He died as a result of the crash and was later identified as a Polish citizen. The Polish delivery company that owned the vehicle said it lost touch with the driver at 4pm local time after it left the country for Berlin.

Owner Ariel Zurawki said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, might have been hijacked. 

He told the Polish news outlet TVN24: “They must have done something to my driver.”

Source: MENA