Merkel Says Everything Points to Anis Amri's Primal Role in Berlin Truck Attack

German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed Friday that Berlin attack suspect Anis Amri had been shot dead in Milan and said everything pointed to his primal role in the deadly truck ramming. She said the death of Amri did not end the inquiry as criminal investigators continued to search for possible accomplices.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Friday, Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said that Amri was killed in Milan. The incident occurred at about 3 a.m. (02:00 GMT) when Amri opened fire following a police request to show his documents.

"Everything indicates that Anis Amri was the person who killed 12 people and inflicted heavy injuries on many others on Monday night at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market," Merkel said at a press conference in Berlin.

"The investigation is not over with the suspect’s death," Merkel said at a press briefing, adding criminal police office were looking round-the-clock for further clues in the case.

"I know they will not rest until they find who knew about Amri’s doings, who could have possibly supported or hid him. If there more culprits or helpers, we will hold them accountable," she pledged.

She also pledged on Friday the government will take measures to speed up and increase the number of deportations of Tunisians who have no right to claim asylum in Germany.

Amri came to Germany in July 2015 after travelling through Italy from Tunisia, which is considered a safe country of origin, meaning Germany does not take in Tunisian refugees. He was to be sent home but the deportation was halted because he had no valid papers.

"I told the president [of Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi] we are going to significantly speed up the process repatriation and increase further the number of those deported," Merkel said at a press briefing on the death of the Tunisian suspect in the Berlin truck attack.

The case of Anis Amri, a Tunisian asylum seeker suspected of carrying out the Berlin attack, raises many questions and will prompt swift changes in security policies, she said.

"In the past years, the federal government has constantly adapted laws and security policies to the challenges. Amri’s case raises a series of questions that deal not only with what he did but also with the period between now and his arrival in Germany in July 2015," Merkel said at a press briefing.

"We are going to scrutinize federal measures to see how much they need to be changed," Merkel said, adding she tasked ministers of interior, justice, and corresponding authorities in German states to review Amri’s case.

Based on the results of the security inquiry, the German government will "take and implement swift measures where there is a need for political or legislative changes," Merkel pledged.

On Monday, a truck rammed into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market in the center of the city, killing 12 people and injuring 49 more. The country's interior ministry has labeled the incident a terrorist attack.