Berlin attacker, Naved B, named as an asylum seeker from Pakistan: Everything we know till now .
A manhunt is underway for the attacker who drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more. After releasing their one detained suspect from custody on Tuesday due to a lack of evidence, police are now reportedly searching for a person of Tunisian descent.
The search for a Tunisian suspect comes after an identification card was discovered inside the truck, the BBC reported, citing Germany’s Spiegel Online. Police are looking for someone they think to be a 23-year-old man named Ahmed A or Anis A, according to Time, citing the Berliner Zeitung.
Police say more than one suspect could be at large and possibly armed, according to the BBC.
In the wake of the attack, law enforcement first detained a person known as Naved B, a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker who came to Germany in late 2015 or early 2016 using a false name. Naved B reportedly denied having anything to do with the attack — and on Tuesday, after police failed to obtain evidence connecting him to the incident, he was released from custody.
Also on Tuesday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency. In a statement, the agency said the attack had been executed by “a soldier of the Islamic State” who was following orders to target citizens in the coalition of countries fighting ISIS.
As CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank pointed out, “This should not be taken to mean the group is claiming it directed this attack.”
“Investigators have not uncovered any links to ISIS,” he said.
The attack has put law enforcement on high alert in cities around the world.
