Berlin attack suspect used 14 aliases, was scrutinized 7 times
Berlin attack suspect used 14 aliases, was scrutinized 7 times:- The failed Tunisian asylum seeker suspected of killing 12 people and injuring dozens in a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market last month used at least 14 different aliases and was the subject of repeated discussions and surveillance by security officials.
The fresh details about Anis Amri, who was shot dead by Italian police four days after the incident on Dec. 19, emerged in testimony at a parliamentary hearing Thursday in North Rhine-Westphalia, an area of Germany where Amri spent time. Regional lawmakers were told that security officials met on seven occasions to scrutinize the threat level he posed, but that there was insufficient evidence to detain him.
“The attack was carried out by a man whom security officials across Germany were very well aware of,” said Ralf Jäger, the interior minister of the German western state, adding that “in a constitutional state, we can’t simply lock up threats as a precautionary measure.”
Amri was part of a wave of asylum seekers who arrived in Germany in 2015 amid Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow in nearly a million migrants from predominantly Muslim countries. His application was turned down because authorities suspected he may have become radicalized, but efforts to deport him were delayed.
The disclosure that security officials suspected he posed a serious threat yet still failed to prevent the attack raises questions about German intelligence agencies’ handling of the affair. It also piles pressure on Merkel ahead of a general election later this year. Recent regional elections have seen gains by the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) political party.
About a third of voters believe Merkel’s migrant policies played a role in the attack, according to a poll released by research firm Forsa in late December. A separate poll by survey firm Insa for German newspaper Bild found that support for AfD grew marginally after the assault.
Source:-Â http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/01/06/berlin-attack-investigation/96235114/
