President-Elect Donald Trump Blames ISIS For Berlin Attack, Vows To Wipe Out Terrorists
President-elect Donald Trump has condemned an attack in Berlin, which saw a lorry plough through a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin. Reacting to the attack, Donald Trump has blamed the attack on ISIS, whilst vowing to wipe out terrorism when he becomes president next month. Mr. Trump shared his sympathies with the victims, saying, “Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today’s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday.”
According to the Independent, Mr. Trump laid the blame for the attacks on ISIS and other Islamist terrorists, saying they “continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.” He further confirmed that when he becomes president, he’ll work to eradicate worldwide terror networks from the face of the earth, hinting that he’ll also call on the United States’ international partners.
Donald Trump: 'Berlin events a terror attack'https://t.co/qsc6RJdWMK pic.twitter.com/gV4RxWtExs
— ITV News (@itvnews) December 19, 2016
As to be expected, Mr. Trump also took to Twitter to elaborate on his warning, calling on the “civilised world” to change their thinking when it comes to terrorism, signalling how he plans to change the United States’ policy on the issue when he takes power in January. However, the president-elect has also been criticized for prematurely labeling the events as a terrorist attack. German government officials, including Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said they don’t want to draw conclusions just yet.
The incident, which took place last night in Berlin, Germany, killed 12 people, with a further 50 people believed to have sustained injuries. Whilst the driver initially fled the scene, according to the Telegraph, the police are believed to have arrested a suspect who was at the wheel, whilst the vehicle’s passenger died at the scene. German media have named the attacker as Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker of Pakistani origin. However, Berlin’s police force is yet to officially confirm reports that he was picked up two kilometers away from the scene of the incident.
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An investigation into the attack began overnight, with police officers raiding a large shelter for asylum seekers at Berlin’s defunct Tempelhof airport during the night. German media is reporting that four men were questioned as part of the raids, however, haven’t been arrested as of yet.
President-elect Donald Trump joins an increasing number of world leaders in condemning the attacks and offering sympathy to the people of Germany. Leading those remarks has been German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who according to the Daily Mail, has said she is “shocked, shaken and deeply saddened” by the attacks. That being said, the news that the alleged attacker was an asylum seeker could spell political trouble for Merkel – who has controversially allowed an unprecedented number of refugees into Germany in recent months.
BREAKING: We must assume this was a terror attack, Angela Merkel says after 12 die in Berlin https://t.co/7R1Hz7ndoE pic.twitter.com/oeMheq6aKR
— Bloomberg (@business) December 20, 2016
The German chancellor, who has led the country since 2005, is facing increasing calls to resign following the attack, including from within her own Christian Democrat party. That’s because, under Merkel, Germany has accepted roughly 1.1 million refugees into the country – a policy which has proven controversial amongst the German electorate. With the most recent attacks in mind, blame is being placed on Merkel’s immigration policy, which could, in turn, make her position as the country’s leader untenable, especially as she faces a growing list of opponents in the country’s federal election next year.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
