'˜Absolutely no doubt' German truck killer Anis Amri is dead after Milan shootout

Berlin truck terrorist Anis Amri has been shot dead in Milan, the Italian Interior Ministry has confirmed.
Italian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhoodItalian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood
Italian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood

Amri “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.

Italian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhoodItalian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood
Italian police cordon off an area around a body after a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood
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Amri, 24, was suspected of driving a truck into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

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 said the officer is recovering in hospital.

Mr Minniti said: “Police officers reacted to the shootout. The person who attacked our police officer was killed.”

The photo which was sent to European police authorities shows Tunisian national Anis AmriThe photo which was sent to European police authorities shows Tunisian national Anis Amri
The photo which was sent to European police authorities shows Tunisian national Anis Amri

He added: “There is absolutely no doubt that the person who was killed is Anis Amri, the suspect of the terrorist attack in Berlin.”

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Although the minister declined to disclose too many operational details, he lauded the moment - which took place at 3am - as demonstrative of the excellence of Italy’s security services.

He said: “I would like to thank the whole of the security of our country. Italy should be really proud of our security full stop and I repeat - really proud, full stop.”

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 site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in BerlinThe site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in Berlin
The site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in Berlin

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.

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“The only problem was for the police officer who was shot - no-one else was injured.”

Mr Minniti said he has thanked the police officer and wished him a happy Christmas.

“I told him that I hope he gets better soon. The boy is very motivated. He’s an extraordinary person. I thank him for the professionalism that he demonstrated, for the professionalism that he alongside his colleague had demonstrated,” he said.

The site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in BerlinThe site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in Berlin
The site of the Christmas market beside the memorial church in Berlin

Police said Amri travelled from Chambery in France to Turin, then on to Milan’s Central Station where he arrived at 1am, and then on to Sesto San Giovanni.

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Earlier this week, relatives of Amri had urged him to turn himself in to police.

The suspect, who turned 24 on Thursday, is understood to have left Tunisia in the wake of 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 outrage.

His brother, Abdelkader Amri, had previously told the Associated Press: “I ask him to turn himself in to the police. If it is proved that he is involved, we dissociate ourselves from it.”

German authorities issued a wanted notice for Amri on Wednesday and offered a reward of up to 100,000 euro (£85,000) for information leading to his arrest.