this is bbc news. i'm clive myrie. you are watching a special. the headlines at 11.00: a lorry attack on a busy christmas market in berlin — at least nine are dead and dozens injured. members of the public tended to the injured as police urged berliners to stay indoors until the all—clear could be given. it went just passed it wentjust passed me, past my girlfriend. i think it was made by three metres and mist to buy five metres. it came into the entrance and hit the sides of the barriers, and hit the sides of the barriers, and then carried on past us. —— missed her. an off—duty turkish policeman moments after he shot and killed the russian ambassador, urging the world to remember syria. he'd been seen in the background as ambassador karlov addressed a meeting. moscow said the murder was an act of terrorism. good evening and

welcome to bbc news. at least nine people have been killed and dozens injured in an attack on a christmas market in the heart of berlin. police say a lorry mounted the pavement at speed, crashing into the crowded market in a central square. and they say the incident is consistent with a ‘possible terror attack‘. officers said they'd arrested a suspect believed to be the driver of the truck. our berlin correspondent jenny hill has the latest. there are some distressing images in the report. sirens, panic in the heart of berlin. this, the immediate aftermath of what police suspect was a deliberate attack. the truck ploughed into one of the city's biggest business markets. —— christmas markets. moments before these pictures were taken, people were eating, drinking and shopping. as we were leaving, a large truck came through,

it wentjust past me and my girlfriend, i think it missed me by about three metres, missed her by five. it came in through the entrance, hit the sides of the barriers and carried on past us. the driver of the lorry, which has polish numberplates, fled on foot. police arrested a man nearby about an hour later. but there was a second man in the truck who died at the scene. so many questions, but for now, such shock. at least 50 people were injured. it's feared the death toll could yet rise. translation: it's terrible to witness this. i'd hoped we would never experience something like this here in berlin. police on the ground are doing everything they can. they are working with fire crews and hospitals and making sure the injured are being taken care of. the situation here is under control. now the experts have to do their work and hopefully on the basis of that we can determine what happened here tonight.

horror enough that such events should unfold less than a week before christmas. but there is fear too. because if, as police believe, this was a deliberate attack, it's possible that what may yet also emerge is this, that terrorists have succeeded in striking again in one of europe's capital cities. a short time ago she gave us this update. they are saying it is possible this was a deliberately planned attack. they can't roll out a terror motivation. equally, they say it may yet be proved to have just been a traffic accident —— rule out. very early stages in the investigation. very few details to be gleaned at this stage. many questions. but we do know earlier this evening, thousands of people

came to this, one of berlin's biggest christmas markets, to enjoy the festivities. instead they witnessed scenes of horror. nine people lost their lives. more than 50 people are injured. some we are told are fighting for their lives tonight. it is feared the death toll may rise. one of those eyewitnesses saw everything that happened and spoke to me a few minutes ago. saw everything that happened and spoke to me a few minutes agom saw everything that happened and spoke to me a few minutes ago. it is out spoke to me a few minutes ago. it is our first day in berlin. we had never been before. we arrived lunchtime and went to the christmas market earlier today. we came back to the hotel to check in and decided to the hotel to check in and decided to head back there because we had such a lovely time this afternoon. we went and bought a few things. we we re we went and bought a few things. we were sat in one of the booths behind one of the huts that were serving the drinks. and to heard an almighty bang to the left of us. and then there were lights that came down

over the market. we saw the truck just going from the left—hand side right across in front of us, maybe eight to ten feet in front of us, ploughing into the stall we had just bought one from. —— wine. it was relentless. it did not seem to stop. and this was just 8— ten feet from you? it was so close. only two minutes before we said we would go ina minute, minutes before we said we would go in a minute, because it was so pretty with the lights and christmas music, so we said we would give it another minute. i'm so glad we did. just two minutes before, you were at the very stall where this vehicle actually ended up going through. yes. we bought the wine and had sat down in the booths behind it. yes. we bought the wine and had sat down in the booths behind itm yes. we bought the wine and had sat down in the booths behind it. it was too close for comfort. indeed. i can imagine. at that stage, did you have any inkling as to exactly what was going on? how this could have

happened? no. i think in going on? how this could have happened? no. ithink in the going on? how this could have happened? no. i think in the moment you are just shocked and full of adrenaline. you have no idea what is going on. it tore the lights down. the place had gone dark. we had no idea. the people around us had no idea. the people around us had no idea. and only after it had passed us idea. and only after it had passed us and carried on going past us, it is too reminiscent of what happened in nice. as the vehicle ploughed into the area, just describe what was going on around you. so people registering king, where we had this bank, everybody looked over, because we thought fireworks were going on or something —— were just drinking. people were screaming. it was going so people were screaming. it was going so fast. it must have been going 40 miles an hour. it made no attempt to

stop whatsoever. it was terrifying, and everyone around us wasjust in shock. we all got a phone that. my first phone call was to my mother says she knew i was so. people calling emergency services. says she knew i was so. people calling emergency servicesm chaotic. an eyewitness speaking to me earlier. let's talk to another, who was at the market in berlin with his girlfriend when the crash happened. thank you forjoining us. tell us what you saw. well, you know, we had been at the christmas market a good 20 minutes having a good walk around, soaking up the scene and the atmosphere. we had bought food and decided to sort of sit down and eat our food. had we carried on, we would have walked down the path where the truck would have been down, and more than likely

we would not be having this conversation right now if we had not made the simple decision to sit down and eat a meal. but complete devastation, what we saw when we realised what had happened. you are incredibly lucky, you and your girlfriend, to have survived. yes. i think the truck ended up no more than ten feet from where we were sat in the market, and everything happened so quickly. we could not believe what was going on until we ran around the corner and saw the devastation it had caused. what did you see? paint a picture for us. we heard it knocking down the stalls at a rate of knots, and there was no

skidding wheels, clearly no attempt to try to slow down, despite him veering out of the market. as we came around the corner, we have seen stalls that works with the present before it happened obliterated into nothing. there were bodies lying on the floor. i tried to push in a collapsed stall of people had already passed. my girlfriend attended an older gentleman with a pretty severe head injury. it was absolutely horrific. it is an amazing how an incident like this can make any impact on you when it happens, when you are right there at the scene. we are clearly both sat here safe and sound in our hotel room, but still in a huge state of

shock. that something like this can happen. indeed. how quickly with the emergency services there, do you reckon? the german emergency services were absolutely amazing. the police on patrol in the evening we re the police on patrol in the evening were brilliant, because not only did the obvious scene need to be dealt with, but there was an extra danger that the stalls the truck had ploughed through when cooking stalls, so there were gas bottles concealed under debris that they also had to deal with. the emergency services were on the scene so quickly and cordoned off areas were set up so quickly and efficiently, it was very well handled, without a shadow of a doubt. were there any

doubt in your mind about going to this market, given the number of terror incidents that have been in germany over the last year or so? no. absolutely no doubt at all. it isa no. absolutely no doubt at all. it is a fantastic city. we soaked up everything the city has had to offer. we have been to two hockey matches. today we were on walking tours visiting various landmarks, and infact tours visiting various landmarks, and in fact it was a last—minute change of plan for us to visit a christmas market in the evening. when we heard there was one situated near the kaiser willhelm memorial church, we decided we would really like to see the church and go to see another christmas market. never any doubt in our mind that something as horrendous like this would happen. 0k, well, thankfully you and your

girlfriend are ok. sadly a number of people have been injured, and of course the latest we have is that nine people have died as a result of this incident. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. he was in that market when the lorry left the road and ploughed into it. that very busy christmas market this evening in central berlin. 0k, busy christmas market this evening in central berlin. ok, let's go to a military analyst. thank you for joining us. we understand the police in germany are keeping a bit of an open mind. they are very much suspecting taira, but have not what 100 % ruled out the possibility that this was some sort of horrible accident —— terror. we do know groups like islamic state have

suggested their followers take this kind of action on targets in europe. yes, exactly. the key spokesman was sagging and has said for the last couple of years —— sailing, all islamic state sympathisers and operatives should do all they can to kill westerners, push them off a cliff, run over them, anything you can be got. these things go in fashion. after the nice attacks in the summer, which were devastating, they killed over 80 people with a truck, this sounds like it was a 40 ton truck and it would be surprising if the death toll rose above nine, but this was to be expected. one of the interesting things is that the german security authorities themselves say the christmas market will be a target. and it happened in the way it is most obvious, and the kaiser willhelm church, i know the

area a bit, and the area where it is close to, it is very central to the old city. it has narrow streets. it is not difficult to close off an old area to vehicles and check vehicles when there is a pedestrian event like the christmas market going on. the fact this was not done any it was predicted to happen is going to raise some pretty severe questions about the german security services and their degree of risk analysis in all of this. indeed. the suggestion is that the christmas markets are popular in northern director stopped we have a big one in birmingham. —— northern european cities. it is difficult to stop vehicles entering at speed, but there is a measure of security. there is the same thing in belgium in their markets in bruges. giving germany has been the victim ofa number of giving germany has been the victim of a number of terror attacks over the last year, are you surprised

there was no other kind of precaution on the roads that might have led to this area? well, let's see in the next 24 hours if the details, out. we have to be very careful what we say in the first aftermath of these things. but yes, iam aftermath of these things. but yes, i am surprised, not that the christmas market is a target. there is almost no way you can stop people with guns or knives in their pocket moving around crowds in a christmas market, but one of the more obvious vulnerabilities is heavy vehicles being driven into them giving we know islamic state are trying to inspire their people to do this. in terms of protecting the area, preventing heavy vehicles or check them as they move into a relatively small area, that is the easiest thing for the police to do. the ha rd est thing for the police to do. the hardest thing to do is stop people with guns or knives in their products. it is a pricing this will have happened and i think it will raise questions —— surprising. the german police are very good and

efficient, the german security services are smaller than ours in the uk. we have about five times as many people listening to the chatter and checking on what is going on and monitoring the activities digitally of thejihadists, so monitoring the activities digitally of the jihadists, so we know a lot more about them then the german security services do, and we pass on anything we knew about, but i think this will expose the fact that the german security services themselves may be took their eye off the ball and may have been chasing other issues. i think the police reacted quite well but you have to raise questions about how it happened in the first place as opposed to other attacks which might also have been anticipated. as you say, it is early days. we need to be careful on the speculation. security officials in france as you were speaking say that

they are beefing security at christmas markets after what happened in berlin. security at christmas markets will be immediately reinforced according to the authorities. it is all of this a reflection on the fact that is, if they are involved in this, and that has to be established, that perhaps the situation on the ground in syria and iraq isn't going the way they would hope that yellow oh, for sure. they have been issuing calls to do this for the last two years. that is not connected directly with the fact they are losing ground in mosul and other parts around raqqa and so on, in the levant, but the fact they are losing ground, even if they don't directly plan these attacks in europe, they work to inspire the loa n—loss, europe, they work to inspire the loan—loss, the amateur is, and we

have seen over the last few years just how effective a couple of lucky amateurs can be. they will get picked up either police more easily. they will leave trails of forensics. they will leave trails of forensics. they are not as good as trained professionals. but if enough commit these attacks, then they can create fright, and they create a standing invitation to supporters, those people outraged in europe by the narrative they create about western behaviour in the levant and so on to go and do something, and that is what adnani was saying, do something against westerners whatever happens to us on the ground in syria and iraq. this of course happening today and an attack on a mosque in zurich. and also the assassination of the

russian ambassador to turkey. it is ha rd to russian ambassador to turkey. it is hard to imagine that these could be linked in any way. just a coincidence? we should never forget the power of coincidence. things often appear to be a huge conspiracy when they turn out to be coincidence. what is happening in iraq in syria is reaching a critical stage. as we have seen in aleppo, mosul and toward raqqa. things are reaching a critical stage in the middle east. there is long ability in western countries in the holiday festive period and a degree of coincidence as well. the russians have found themselves in the cross ha i rs have found themselves in the crosshairs as they have for a couple of years but with —— as with the russian aircraft. now they have committed to keeping assad going in syria that is creating a backwash

against them as well. there are the elements for the perfect storm. whether these are all linked, i would doubt that, but we are on the edge of a wave which is beginning to crash against western europe. it hasn't hit here in the uk and there are reasons for that, but certainly there has been a wave building for about a year and over the next few months we will see it crashing across europe in general. ok, thank you very much indeed for your analysis. former director of the think tank royal united services institute. what have you heard as far as the police investigation is concerned? are they treating this as a definite terror attack? hello. no,

it is not confirmed right now. the information is not clear at this time, if it was an attack or only an accident. there are many many signs but it is not confirmed yet. and the very latest on the number of people who have been injured and who have sadly been killed — what have you got on that? the latest was 45 to 50 injured people and nine killed. ok. there are some suggestions that perhaps security around this market — very popular — one of the biggest in germany, that given the problems and have been with terror and tax in germany in the last year or so, some people were a little bit surprised

that perhaps security wasn't a bit tighter. —— terror attacks. that perhaps security wasn't a bit tighter. -- terror attacks. yes. (inaudible). there were several warnings that there could be targets of an attack. there are several christmas markets in berlin and this one in the western pa rt of in berlin and this one in the western part of berlin is not the biggest. there are many which are bigger than that. maybe it was... maybe if it was an attack... (inaudible). the normal security forces, policing was there. ok. we are going to leave

it. jan hollitzer, thank you for joining us. 0k, ok, let's move on now. the russian ambassador to turkey has been shot and killed. andrei karlov was addressing a meeting in ankara when a man shot him several times in the back, shouting, "don't forget aleppo," and, "revenge." the gunman was an off—duty turkish police officer. the attack follows days of protests in turkey against russia's role in syria. our correspondent mark lowen has the latesr. his report contains flashing images. russia's ambassador to turkey opening an exhibition in ankara. waiting behind him, his assassin. as andrei karlov speaks, the gunman opens fire, killing the ambassador. gunfire he screams, "allahu

akbar," god is greatest, before in turkish, "don't forget about aleppo, don't forget about syria. if they are not safe, you will not taste safety either." as the attacker was shot dead by police, the ambassador was rushed to hospital. his wife was led out, clearly shaken. soon after, andrei karlov succumbed to his injuries. the gunman was named by the authorities as a turkish police officer, born in 1994. he had been working for the riot police for two and a half years. his sister and mother have been detained. 62—year—old andrei karlov had 40 years of diplomatic experience, ambassador in ankara since 2015. russia and turkey have been on opposite sides of the syrian war, but a recent rapprochement between the two halted the fighting in aleppo.

translation: i describe this attack on russia's ambassador as an attack on turkey, an attack on turkey's state and nation. after the incident i talked to mr putin. we agreed it was a provocation and there isn't any dispute. president putin called the attack a ploy to wreck the syrian peace process. syria's war has killed hundreds of thousands. it's just had another deadly impact. we have just had the thoughts of the president—elect, donald trump, on what has been happening, hearts and prayers with the loved ones of the victims of a horrifying at hacking berlin. innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepare to celebrate the holiday. isis and others continually slaughter christians in their community and places of worship. on twitter he says the attack shows the

civilised world must change its thinking. that is it, you're watching bbc news. stay with us, we have a little bit more on this, but time for a look at the weather. well, we have some changes on the way to the weather patterns we have had so far. it has been pretty calm. this week is going to be turning very unsettled. that means quite changeable from windy too bright weather and back to very windy weather and back to very windy weather again and this is the jet strea m weather again and this is the jet stream along the northern continent, making a beeline for the uk. and underneath the jet stream we see the computer model suggest this low pressure will form, here is one around scotland around christmas eve and another when heading for christmas. this is a long way off forjust christmas. this is a long way off for just how christmas. this is a long way off forjust how big these areas pressure will be and how intense they will be, it is too early to say, but they will affect us in one form or another. in the short—term loss of grey cloud, bits and pieces

online rain or drizzle format of england and wales but scotland and northern ireland has a different story here with the day ending on a much clearer note with some sunshine, beautiful weather early on in scotland and a touch of frost now this side of the fund. this side of the cold front we have the mild air. this is what it looks like on tuesday first thing in the morning. you can see some frost for parts of scotland. but again the drizzly, misty, murky weather with the grey skies across the balkans england and is. you can see the drizzle and the light rain across western wales. —— the bulk of england and wales. essentially that murky, mass of air, a little bit of sunshine developing for sure and not ending up being a bad day across parts of england but a change on the way for northern ireland and scotland. this is the beginning of the really unsettled weather that is heading this way. tuesday rain eventually reaching northern ireland scotland but the bulk of the country is still fairly dry up but from the little bits and

pieces drizzle that we will get. here is wednesday. lots of isobars. lots of weather fronts. lots of —— powerful jetstrea m lots of weather fronts. lots of —— powerful jetstream on lots of weather fronts. lots of —— powerfuljetstream on top of us. wintry weather across the hills. still at this stage on wednesday relatively mild into double figures and fairly cloudy with rain for southern areas. and from then on it is all change and the temperature dips away. we will see a real rollercoaster ride on the weather front through christmas. hello. this is bbc news with clive myrie. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment. first the headlines. a lorry attack, on a busy christmas market in berlin, has killed at least nine people and left dozens injured. members of the public tended to victims, as police urged berliners to stay indoors until the all—clear could be given. the authorities are treating it as a deliberate attack.

it wentjust past me, past my girlfriend. i think it missed me by three metres and missed her by five metres. it came into the entrance and hit the sides of the barriers, and then carried on past us. a man who shot dead the russian ambassador to turkey has been identified as an off—duty policeman. the killer urged the world to remember the syrian city of aleppo. he'd been seen in the background as ambassador karlov addressed a meeting. moscow said the murder was an act of terrorism.