Mrs Merkel said she has ordered a comprehensive investigation into all angles of the case, after it emerged that German authorities had tracked 24-year-old Tunisian man Anis Amri for months this year on suspicion of planning an attack.
The German leader said “our democracy, our rule of law, our values and our humanity” are the alternatives to “the hate-filled world of terrorism”, and would ultimately prevail.
Mrs Merkel also expressed her deep thanks to Italian authorities, and in particular to the two police officers who challenged Amri.
Twelve people were killed and 48 others were injured after a truck was driven into a Christmas market in the German capital on Monday evening.
Amri was shot dead in Milan after attacking a police officer who asked him for ID. He “immediately” produced a gun when approached by police and shot an officer during a routine patrol in the northern Italian city early on Friday.
The Tunisian was then killed, and there is “absolutely no doubt” that the man was Amri, Italian interior minister Marco Minniti said.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Mr Minniti said: “One of our police officers on patrol stopped a person who was just walking around looking very suspect. And the moment he was stopped, the man, without hesitating, he immediately took his gun and shot at the police officer who asked him for his identification papers.”
He added: “Police officers reacted to the shootout. The person who attacked our police officer was killed.”
He said the officer who was shot, Cristian Movio, is recovering in hospital, adding that he has thanked him and wished him a happy Christmas. The other officer involved was Luca Scata, the press conference heard.
Mr Minniti added: “As soon as this person entered our country he was the most wanted man in Europe and we immediately identified him and neutralised him and this means our security is working really well.”
The minister said: “We are talking about an operation that happened at three in the morning in the middle of a really important city centre and it happened in complete security. The only problem was for the police officer who was shot – no-one else was injured.”
Police said Amri travelled from Chambery in France to Turin in Italy, then on to Milan’s Central Station where he arrived at 1am, and then on to Sesto San Giovanni.
Earlier this week, relatives of Amri urged him to turn himself in to police.The suspect, who turned 24 on Thursday, is understood to have left Tunisia after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and spent time in Italy before entering Germany last year.
His asylum claim was rejected and authorities identified him as a threat before the Berlin attack.
AP
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