Who Is Luca Scata, Milan Police Officer Who Killed Berlin Terror Attack Suspect?

The Italian policeman who shot and killed the Berlin terror suspect in Milan on Friday, had been known to frequently post inspirational messages on his Facebook page. But Luca Scata probably didn't expect those comments to be joined by thousands of others on his wall from users around the world praising him for capturing the most wanted man in Europe and ending a ferocious five-day-long manhunt that had spanned the entire continent.

“He is an amazing man and he was very, very brave. Since he was little, his dream was to be a cop," Paolo Amenta, the mayor of Scata’s hometown, told the Guardian.

Just before Scata, 29, was transferred from his hometown of Canicatti on the southern island of Sicily to be a policeman in Milan at the end of October, Scata posted on his Facebook page “From today Milan will be more secure!”

But Scata was a rookie police officer fresh off of completing a nine-month stint of police training when he found himself in the midst of a fire fight with 24-year-old Anis Amri, who was suspected of killing 12 people after driving a truck into a crowd of Christmas market shoppers in Berlin on Monday night.

Scata's heroic act occurred around 3 a.m. local time Friday while he and his partner were responding to a tip that Amri had been spotted at the Sesto San Giovanni train station in northern Milan.

After stopping a man who fit Amri’s description and imploring him to present his identification documents, the terror suspect took out a pistol from his backpack and began shooting at the two officers, hitting Scata's partner in the shoulder.

As his partner lay wounded on the ground, Scata returned fire and killed Amri after hitting him with two shots.

The partner was recovering in a hospital in stable condition.

Italy’s prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined the thousands of others in applauding Scata for his “courage and skills” Friday.

Several groups have been created on Facebook declaring 'Give Luca Scata a medal' and calling him a “global hero,” according to local reports Friday.

Marco Minniti, Italy’s Interior Minister, confirmed Friday morning that “without a shadow of a doubt” the man who was killed was the suspect in Monday’s attack in Berlin after finding that his fingerprints matched those found in the truck used to barrel into the crowded Christmas Market, the Telegraph reported Friday.

“Italy is grateful to these two police officers for service rendered to our community,” Minniti said.