Berlin Christmas market attack
The man suspected of deliberately ramming a large truck into a Christmas market in Berlin (Breitscheidplatz market) appears to be a refugee from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Monday evening's attack killed 12 people and injured dozens more. Berlin police said that the truck "was steered deliberately into the crowd." It was carrying 25 tons of steel at the time. Berlin police said a Polish man was found dead in the truck. He was not at the wheel during the incident. A possible scenario is that the truck was hijacked. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the incident is being treated as a terror attack. However, German police have declined to confirm the driver's motivations. Terror groups including ISIS have encouraged their followers to use vehicles to stage attacks. Prior to Monday's attack, the US had issued a travel warning for Europe, saying there was "credible information which indicates terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks." German officials had also expressed concerns over security for Christmas markets, which are often frequented by large crowds. Incidents like this are convincing many Europeans that traditional democratic values are only giving aid and comfort to terrorists, leading to a swell in support for more authoritarian politics.
In Other News Russia has warned it will not make "concessions to terrorists" a day after its ambassador, Sergey Lavrov, was gunned down in the Turkish capital Ankara. The man who opened fire on the ambassador was identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas. It occurred at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara, the same day a meeting had been arranged to discuss the situation in Aleppo. On Monday, the Turkish police officer fired several shots at Karlov shouting, "Allahu akbar (God is greatest). Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria!” It was reported that 22-year-old Altintas had been killed. Six people have been taken in for questioning in relation to the shooting. Russia has been denounced by human rights groups and several countries (including Turkey) over its backing of the Syrian president. Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “The only response we should offer to this murder is stepping up our fight against terror, and the criminals will feel the heat." Donald Trump surpassed the necessary 270 votes in the Electoral College on Monday, taking the next step in the official process to become President. Trump received 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 227. Seven "faithless" electors voted for other candidates, costing Trump two votes and Clinton five. The results mean Trump -- who lost the popular vote by more than 2 percentage points to Clinton -- easily staved off a long-shot bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him. The Electoral College results will be officially certified January 6 during a joint session of Congress. This is the first US presidential election since 1872 with more than one "faithless elector."