Germany wants Tunisian suspect across Europe

German authorities launched a Europe-wide manhunt on December 21 for a man whose asylum application was rejected over his suspected involvement in a truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Police are searching for Tunisian-born suspect Anis Amri over his suspected involvement in a car crash into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin - Photo: Reuters

AFP reported that suspect Anis Amri (24 years old), a Tunisian national, had been investigated for planning an armed robbery but German authorities stopped monitoring him due to lack of evidence.

Ralf Jaeger, the head of the North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Ministry, confirmed that Amri had recently been brought to the attention of the anti-terrorist police. "The security services shared information they had about him with the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre in November 2016," Jaeger said.

A police memo also noted that Amri used up to six different aliases during his multiple attempts to enter Egypt or Lebanon.

German authorities decided to deport Amri in June but were delayed due to Tunisia's slow processing of paperwork.

An arrest warrant for suspect Amri was issued after police found his residence papers in the cab of the truck that caused the massacre that killed 12 people in Berlin.

Before coming to Germany, Amri had served four years in prison for arson at a school in Italy and was facing a prison sentence in absentia in Tunisia, the BBC reported.

German authorities are offering a $104,000 reward for information leading to Amri's arrest.

The latest investigation report suggests that Amri may have been injured in a fight for control of the vehicle with the driver of the truck that caused the accident.

Amri killed Polish citizen Lukasz Urban with a knife and gun before driving into a crowd of pedestrians at a Christmas market in Berlin.

The suspect's brother, Abdelkader Amri, told AFP he could not believe his eyes when he saw his brother's face in the media.

"I am shocked and cannot believe that he committed this crime. If he is guilty, he deserves to be condemned," Abdelkader Amri shared.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack but has not provided any evidence.

According to Tuoi Tre