Berlin Truck Attack Update: Anis Amri Shot Dead In Milan, Italian Interior Minister Confirms

UPDATE: 7:07 a.m. EST — Italian authorities received a tip-off that Berlin truck attack suspect Anis Amri could be in Milan prompting them to send additional patrols to catch him, a judicial source told Reuters Friday. Earlier in the day, the Italian government confirmed that Amri was killed in a shootout in the city.

Officials found a railway ticket on the 24-year-old Tunisian’s body indicating that he travelled by high-speed train from France to the northern Italian city of Turin, Reuters reported, citing the source. He then travelled in a regional train to the Milan suburbs.

Amri was the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt for mowing down 12 people at a Chrismas market in Berlin on Monday.

Meanwhile, a photo of the Italian police officer injured in the shootout with Amri was released on social media.

UPDATE: 5:40 a.m. EST — Germany’s interior ministry is relieved that Berlin truck attack suspect Anis Amri was shot dead in Italy Friday, the department’s spokesman Tobias Plate said, at a press conference, according to reports.

Germany has not yet received an official written notification from Italy about the development but a German police liaison office in Rome was informed about Amri’s death, according to reports.

Plate said "should this turn out to be true then the interior ministry is relieved that this person doesn't pose a threat anymore."

UPDATE: 5:18 a.m. EST — Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti has confirmed that the person killed in a shootout in Milan was the Berlin truck attack suspect Anis Amri.

“He was the most wanted man in Europe and we immediately identified him and neutralized him. This means our security is working really well,” Minniti said, at a press conference.

Original story:

Anis Amri, the prime suspect in Monday’s truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin, has been shot dead in Milan, according to Italian media. Amri fled following the attack that killed 12 people, prompting a Europe-wide manhunt for him.

Italian interior minister Marco Minniti is expected to hold a news conference shortly.

Amri was killed after he shot at two police officers during a “routine road check” near the Piazza Primo Maggio, in front of Sesto San Giovanni station in Milan, according to Italian ANSA news agency. One of the officers was injured in the incident, the report said.

Amri shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) before shooting the officers, according to Spiegel Online, a German news website. The police responded with gunfire killing him, the report added.

Germany’s federal prosecutor has not confirmed Amri’s death. However, a representative for the prosecutor’s office reportedly said German officials are in contact with Italian authorities.

Some reports had earlier said that a man matching the description of the Berlin attacker was spotted in Denmark.

The 24-year-old Tunisian arrived in Germany about five years ago. He had reportedly served time in an Italian prison, and was detained for a short time in Germany as well before being released. Amri was also recently put on a U.S. no-fly list.

The suspect’s brother Abdelkader Amri had reportedly urged Amri to turn himself in. According to Abdelkader, Amri was likely radicalized in a prison in Italy, where he traveled during the Arab Spring uprisings.

According to a European arrest warrant, Amri was born in the Tunisian town of Ghaza and went by half a dozen names — most of them variants of his real name. He also had Egyptian and Lebanese citizenships, the warrant reportedly stated.

Monday’s attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, which issued a statement calling Amri a “soldier of the Islamic State.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story wrongly identified the Italian interior minister as Angelino Alfano.