For a great many of us, finals week is or is nearly over and we're preparing to go back home for a month of sorely needed relaxation and rest as we await the holidays. But in Berlin, the festive winter cheer has been marred by a tragedy that took the lives of several people and left others injured.
On December 19, a tractor truck drove into the Christmas market in Berlin and killed 12 people, injuring 48 others, some of whom are seriously injured. Officials are currently investigating the crash as an act of terrorism.
The truck that was involved in the crash had Polish license plates and the passenger discovered within the vehicle was a Polish citizen, who had been found dead. The owner of the truck company, Ariel Zurawski, told reporters that the truck, which carried a steel shipment, may have been hijacked.
The regular driver of the truck is Zurawski's cousin, and Zurawski stated that his cousin couldn't have been behind the wheel. The owner then stated that he believed the perpetrators "did something" to Zurawski's cousin and then hijacked the truck in order to drive it into the crowded market.
The truck, according to one witness, did not slow down, traveling at about 40 miles per hour through a crowded pedestrian accident. This further cements the suspicion that this tragedy was no accident. The belief that this was an act of terrorism is made more convincing by the fact that trucks have been used in previous attacks, such as the Bastille Day truck attack in France that killed 86 people and injured over 200 back in July. Terrorist groups have also taken to the Internet in the past to encourage their followers in Western countries to use vehicles to attack.
This attack has naturally caused much alarm: the holidays are cause for much cheer and excitement, certainly, but we must remember that some of the deadliest terrorist attacks have been at crowded places such as malls during shopping seasons. As we await more news from Berlin, I send my condolences to the victims of this attack and hope that everyone will stay safe this winter.
