White House, Trump condemn 'terrorist attack' on Berlin Christmas market

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others.

Paramedics and police arrive at a scene where a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany on December 19 2016 [Maurizio Gambarini /Anadolu Agency]

The White House on Monday condemned what it called an apparent “terrorist attack” on a Christmas market in central Berlin.

“We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others.

Trump weighs in

US President-elect Donald Trump also condemned the attack, linking the attack to “Islamist terrorists” before German police officials had said who was responsible.

Trump, in a statement, said “ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad,” using an acronym for Daesh.

On Twitter, he said the attack, along with others in Turkey and Switzerland, showed “it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!”

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