this is bbc news. the headlines: the german chancellor, angela merkel, says those behind an attack on a christmas market in berlin will be punished as harshly as the law allows, and responds to media reports that the suspect is a refugee. translation: it will be particularly difficult for us all to bear if it is confirmed that the perpetrator had asked for protection and asylum in germany. investigators say the truck appears to have been intentionally driven into the market, killing 12 people and injuring 48. the german interior minister says a man has been arrested but has i saw people lying on the ground, bodies twisted, arms and legs, people on top of each other. the german interior minister says a man has been arrested but has so far denied any involvement. in other news. moscow sends investigators to turkey after this off—duty policeman assassinated the russian ambassador.

he'd been seen in the background as ambassador karlov addressed a meeting in ankara, and shouted about syria as he fired. in moscow tributes are paid to the ambassador as the russian foreign minister, meeting with his turkish counterpart, said the attack would strengthen their resolve to fight terrorism. the scottish first minister sets out her proposals for scotland's future relations with europe after brexit. what we've put in here is a compromise, that we keep scotland in a single market, hopefully we'll keep the whole of the uk in the single market, but if not, keep scotla nd single market, but if not, keep scotland in the single market, and delivers to —— the powers to the scottish parliament and government to support that. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news.

germany's chancellor has said those responsible for the attack on a burly market yesterday will be punished. anglo merkel described the deadly incident which left 12 people deadly incident which left 12 people dead and 48 injured as a terrible act and said the country was united in mourning. i suspect, reported to be a 23—year—old pakistani man who arrived in the country last year, is being questioned. germany's interior minister said he was not on any terrorist watch list but there was no doubt it was a terrorist attack. it happened at around 8:15pm last night in the heart of the west of the city when the streets were packed. witnesses said the vehicle ploughed into the side of the market. it happened near berlin zoo,

and one of berlin's main shopping streets. the interior minister gave this update. yesterday around 8pm, a lorry with a polish sign drove into the christmas market at the breitscheidplatz. after about 18 metres, it stopped. what we know now from investigations so what we know now from investigations so far the driver flout the place of the attack. what we know now, there are 12 dead, 48 people injured and 18 of those are very seriously injured. among the dead is a male victim who was found on the

passenger seat of the lorry. what we know so far, this person has an injury that was caused by a pistol. when the shot was fired, is still subject to investigation. one person has been arrested after the attack by the police. so far he has denied any involvement. that is the interior minister. chancellor angela merkel gave her reaction earlier and said she will be visiting the scene this afternoon. she described the attack as incompatible. translation: ladies and gentlemen, this is a very difficult day. i am, like many people in germany, shocked, devastated and deeply

saddened by what happened in berlin yesterday, in breitscheidplatz. 12 people who like the rest of us were looking forward to christmas and had plans for the holidays are no longer with us. and terrible and incomprehensible act has taken their lives. more than 40 more are injured and fighting for their lives or health. my thoughts at this time are first of all with these people, with the dead and injured, with theirfamilies, relatives and friends. i'd like you to know that we all, the whole country, are united with you in sorrow. we are hoping and praying that you can carry on living after this horrific attack. we are expecting a news conference live from berlin shortly. the chief

of police will be addressing the media. we will bring you coverage of the conference when it happens. here, scotland yard have responded to the attack in berlin, saying the metropolitan police have detailed plans in place for protecting public events over the christmas period. in a statement the force said... chris phillips is the former head of the national counter terrorism security office — and said the uk already had some measures in place. well, it is very difficult once a person is in a truck and a very large truck, and that person is intent on killing people, it is very difficult to stop that. what you then have to do is to reduce the number of casualties. so as an example, 15 years ago in the uk, we started working on protecting our crowded places from these types of attacks, but of course,

if you have got a truck and you've got someone with a malicious intent it is very difficult to prevent any loss of life. let's just take you live to the scene. it is as you would expect, still cordoned off, the debris remaining as it was in the immediate aftermath of that truck ploughing into the crowd, and those wooden huts at the christmas market. the drug itself was removed this morning. investigators say they are working as quickly as possible. —— the truck was removed. christmas market in berlin closed today as a market in berlin closed today as a mark of respect to those killed. across germany, elsewhere, christmas markets are still going ahead and the seasonal events, as the chancellor and interior ministers say it is important in spite of the fear that people will be feeling to

continue with life and the freedoms that they have. they said that to do otherwise would be to allow victory to those enemies of freedom. let's go to berlin now. the news conference that i mentioned that we are expecting from the mayor of berlin and also the chief of police. we will listen in. translation: about yesterday's attack at the breitscheidplatz. the mayor and senator for the interior, breitscheidplatz. the mayor and senatorfor the interior, the police president, the general prosecutor and the head of the fire service. the mayor. we don't understand the whole of berlin and many friends of berlin across the world are deeply

aggrieved after yesterday's events. our thoughts are obviously first of all with the victim 's, with the families of the victims, and the injured of whom there are many. ladies and gentlemen, yesterday evening, whenl ladies and gentlemen, yesterday evening, when i was at the place of the attack, it was a moment where you can only be deeply shocked and when you come to a place where just minutes before many people were full ofjoy and minutes before many people were full of joy and the minutes before many people were full ofjoy and the joy of life, and during this christmas time on a christmas market, to enjoy that time and then within just a brief moment, it has become a place of pain and grief. it is a terribly

depressing... you just have to realise that it is once again an attack on all of our freedom, ilife, and it could really have hit anyone at this point. —— attack on our lives. what really touched me in the la st lives. what really touched me in the last few others, how much solidarity has been that the berlin, from our friends and of course that the mayor of munich and of hamburg have been in touch immediately, but also from paris and many other parts of the world, and it is good to feel that especially those that have suffered terror are coming closer together in such a situation, and show that our democracy can defend itself. that the people who live within it can

come together and stand against the enemies of this that what was it and have an open life. i want to say at this point i great thanks to all those yesterday it helped in the situation. as bad as it was, they came to control it so quickly. first of all, they are the rescue forces oi'i of all, they are the rescue forces on the ground, particularly i want to thank the fire services and the berlin police, because they really worked extremely well, but also a great next to the hospitals. so many hospitals were immediately prepared to deal with this exceptional situation. i think together we were able to show that as fast as at all possible, to be prepared for such a scenario. and that really succeeded.

it really succeeded to mobilise all the different forces in such a short time to get to the place of the attack and to deal with it in a very professional way. this ultimately has been a great concrete help for so has been a great concrete help for so many people, so a great thank you for that. i also want to say thank you to all the media who have dealt with the situation in a very responsible way. a colleague of mine in munich has also said exactly the same thing, that this has been noticed across the country. but also the police acted in a very clear and transparent way to show in what kind of situation we are and what we are actually dealing with, what situation is that have to deal with.

this has been accompanied by the press in a good and correct way. loss of sound. inaudible well, we seem loss of sound. inaudible well, we seem to be having some sound issues with that, so we willjust hope that they get fixed butjust with that, so we willjust hope that they get fixed but just to with that, so we willjust hope that they get fixed butjust to bring it up they get fixed butjust to bring it up to date, we are hearing a news conference from the mayor of berlin, also the chief of police and others. the method is griping it as an attack on our freedom and our life, and it could have hit anyone. —— the mayor of berlin is describing it. he says that the solidarity expressed for berlin has touched him. we earlier heard from the interior minister and chancellor and merkel talking about the attack on freedom

and in spite of the fear that people will be feeling, the importance of standing united and continuing with life and the freedoms that they enjoy. we've also heard a little earlier in the news conference from the interior minister that the suspect arrested comes from pakistan and have applied for asylum. the suspect had entered germany on the sist suspect had entered germany on the 31st of december last year and arrived in berlin in february. so far, he said that the authorities have no knowledge of claim of responsibility from the islamic state group. jeremy's top security official has said that authorities have no doubt that the attack was an intentional attack. —— germany's top security official. 12 people killed in the incident and 48 injured, 18

of them seriously. the man arrested has denied in his questioning by police so far that he was involved. we will hear police next from the news c0 nfe re nce we will hear police next from the news conference but unfortunately we have some sound issues. we hope those issues are fixed. we will keep you updated with developments as we hear them. this is the latest police briefing. the latest from the police is that they do have a suspect in custody, but he has denied that he was involved. we are still struggling to resolve the issues with the news conference. after work, it was 6:30pm,

we went to the christmas market. we were having a chat, it was quite an international group, americans, from holland, german, turkish, italian. at around 8pm, we heard a noise, like one of the christmas markets had fallen down. when i turned my back, i was on the steps, two metres from where the lorry passed. it was going with full speed into the market. the market was divided with christmas huts on one side and on the other side, it was going literally in the walking area, into all of these innocent people. what went through your mind as you saw that? were you in any doubt

as to what was happening? i was quite shocked. i can show you from my balcony. from my house, it is a two—minute drive. this is one of the busiest streets. it came from that side. what was on my mind, you cannot think of anything, you are just shocked, you just want to help those people. i went down. people were asking for help. i just took the wooden huts off them, but i could not help them all. let me bring you a report from the german newspaper die welt, which is

quoting security sources as saying police do not think the pakistani man they have arrested was the perpetrator in the attack. it is only a report at this stage in the german newspaper die welt, but they are saying that police say the actual perpetrator still has a weapon and is still at large and could still do further damage. let's go back to that news conference. police are currently answering questions. translation: we ask all berliners, men and women, not to change the way they live and not to change the way they live and not to change the way they live and not to lose courage, to keep a cool head, to trust the security services

which are investigating. the federal criminal office has taken over the investigations and he will talk to the press later today. i also have one request. should berlin's citizens or visitors have pictures oi’ even citizens or visitors have pictures or even video of the attack yesterday, please pass it on to the berlin police. please don'tjust upload them onto the internet yourselves. that doesn't help the investigation. it would just increase in security. we need these pictures and the videos for our further investigations. finally, i have ordered all flags on public buildings to be at half—mast today. now the police president. thank you

very much. ijust wanted to talk about the police actions. yesterday, the first notice of the attack was at 8.0 two. there was a lorry driving at the breitscheidplatz. when we verified that information, we when we verified that information, we ought immediately brought 550 police into action in various functions. they did what needed to be done to secure the place and start the investigation. we had a very large place that needed to be secured with a lot of people in it, and all of that happened without much of a hitch. we have already arrested one suspect. about the investigation itself, i can't say anything because the federal prosecutor has ta ken anything because the federal prosecutor has taken over. so i want to exclude that part at this press

conference. but i am glad about the work of the media. we have had good experience for time now with social media and transparency. it was very important yesterday that calm and control pervaded and that misinformation did not escalate the situation. of course, there was that kind of thing, but overall, it stayed under control and that helped deal with the incident calmly and to avoid a wider panic. that is a good way to go forward. it will be important in future investigations. looking at the broader security situation, the federal criminal office has already said its last

security assessment on november 14, that the danger from islamist extremists is very high and that the christmas markets were potential targets. that hasn't changed, and of course, this assessment has become reality. the worst has happened. what we do now is everything we can to clarify what happened and if there are further suspects, we will do everything to track them down. it will obviously take much increased measures in the next few hours. in front of all the markets, there will

be stone bollards to make sure this kind of attack cannot be repeated. there will also be a robust presence of men and women using protective vests as well as automatic weapons at the entrances. there will be a much higher presence and we have close cooperation with the federal police as well. they will be able to assist if you need them. there will also have a much bigger person at other events such as the football match of berlin football club tomorrow. like in paris, football attacks were much better secured after the attacks there. the federal

criminal office is looking at its security assessment and will give more information. i guess that the current situation will continue for some time. my my thoughts are with the relatives and the victims and also with the driver of the lorry, but also with the wider population who are worried. since yesterday evening and

the hours after the attack, there was co nta ct the hours after the attack, there was contact between the berlin prosecutor's office and the federal prosecutor's office and the federal prosecutor's office, because the situation needed to be reviewed to see whether involvement of the federal prosecutor's office would be needed because of a terrorist attack. so there was a permanent dialogue. even in the night hours, people from the federal criminal office came to berlin and were present here, as well as berlin prosecutors. there were conversations with the terrorism officials of the federal prosecutor's office and it was decided at 8.15 this morning to pass

on the investigation to the federal prosecutor's office. until then, berlin prosecutors did everything that was necessary. but this morning, the investigation was handed over to the federal prosecutor's office. the federal prosecutor's office. the federal prosecutor will later give a press conference with details and his view of the events. thank you very much. i would like to to you about how the attack happened from the fire service's point of view. we were alerted last night. firstly, we were warned about a traffic accident. but even when the first forces came to the scene, it became clear that it

was a mass incident. there were many victims. many people were injured, with different types of injuries. in the end, we were there with 153 forces, with an additional 80 people. so 230 people were involved at the scene of the attack. there were additional people working in the background. we had people working on redirecting resources behind the scenes. that worked quite

well. this concept has been developed for a long time, not since the terror attacks. but this was a test. in view of the threat of terrorist attacks, we have developed this further and also adapted the way that the five vehicles are staffed and equipped. all in all, that worked well. but we still had to deal with nine people dead at the scene, for whom we could do nothing. 18 of those injured were very seriously injured, and three of them

have died. 17 were lightly injured. some of them made their own way into the clinics and were not transported by us. the distribution of patients has worked well. that was also a question that was open. in berlin, we question that was open. in berlin, we have an question that was open. in berlin, we have an enormous question that was open. in berlin, we have an enormous number of hospitals, so all the injured people could be distributed amongst hospitals and everyone could have individual treatment. hospitals and everyone could have individualtreatment. nobody hospitals and everyone could have individual treatment. nobody had to wait. that was very good. the mayor has already said that the clinics we re has already said that the clinics were prepared. our concept means that once the situation is assessed, the hospitals can be informed as early as possible and they can immediately drive up their capabilities in terms of the

diagnostic and extreme medicine. the concept has worked well. the rescue services all worked together well. even individuals on the ground showed solidarity and a willingness to help. people who were not directly affected were willing to help. but there were also doctors who were just passing by chance who assisted. so there was no shortage of medical personnel on the ground. we did what needed to be done. and the result is not as we would hope, but overall, the system has worked and their colleagues have done what they needed to do. sol and their colleagues have done what they needed to do. so i thank everyone that it works this well.

questions, please. translation: the investigation carries on, so there are various different ways to secure traces. we are still securing details in the investigation. it is not entirely certain whether the driver was involved. we have not been able to confirm that the person we have is

definitely the driver. inaudible are their suspicions they could be another suspect? the lorry is still being checked. we are obviously working to try and find further information. the first bit of information. the first bit of information we had were quite limited. inaudible have there been other arrests? no. the lorry was supposed to be parked yesterday near

a firm which is close to the foreign office. there was lots of spec elation. i don't want to feed rumours. there was only different constellations yesterday. somebody was suggesting the driver was drunk. i don't want to feed a respect elation. —— there were so many different speculations yesterday. but the lorry was parked in the place you suggested. inaudible how would you judge the security situation now? the question is whether the situation, the threat situation has changed. the federal criminal office judgment has basically been realised, that the basically been realised, that the basic situation is there. if you

look what has happened in the last few months, when i think of incidents in other places, we do have dangerous people in the area of berlin. that has not changed. we now have a situation right now and this moment that we can't finallyjudge. the lorry was seen in a particular area with two drivers. what does that say? i can't tell you precise details of the investigation, but i think that particular line does not lead anywhere. that is the end of that news conference, and confirmation there

that it conference, and confirmation there thatitis conference, and confirmation there that it is not absolutely clear whether the person in police custody is definitely the driver. the police are saying they are particularly alert because the arrested suspect denies the offence. let's bring in our correspondent who is in berlin. the latest lines they're coming out of the news conference held by the police and the mayor. there is a person in custody but it is not absolutely clear, they are now saying, whether that is the person who was at the wheel when the lorry was driven into the crowd.|j who was at the wheel when the lorry was driven into the crowd. i think they been very cautious about not creating any rumours. what they have isa creating any rumours. what they have is a suspect. there is a newspaper report citing a police source safe police think another man is on the run, but that is the only source

claiming this. so far, according to the interior minister and two police officials, who have just the interior minister and two police officials, who havejust spoken the interior minister and two police officials, who have just spoken at the press conference, they say they are treating this man as the suspect. he denies having committed this attack, but that does not mean he is not the suspect. so it is a confused situation right now and what police are quite clear about saying is it is very important for the press and public not to speculate. that is why they have asked people who were either —— eyewitnesses to send pictures to the police rather than spread them on social media, because it is a situation in which people are so nervous about another attack or potential ramifications of this attack, police officials here are saying it is very important to have patience and not to engage in any spec elation which might make people feel even more nervous than they already do. —— speculation.

feel even more nervous than they already do. -- speculation. what has been the wider reaction politically and also amongst people in germany? in berlin people are shocked, saddened. angela merkel said earlier today that she was herself deeply upset other and that she would find it particularly sickening if it turns out that the perpetrator was indeed an asylum seeker who, as she put it, came to germany asking for help. that is because that would be a real slap help. that is because that would be a realslap in help. that is because that would be a real slap in the face for all those germans who helped migrants. but it would also be a massive problem for angela merkel because that open—door policy, plenty of people supported her on that and we re people supported her on that and were proud of germany's humanitarian gesture, but plenty of people were rattled by that decision and don't back under the merkel. her problem is that she has elections next year,

in autumn, and she is very closely associated with this opening the door to legitimate refugees fleeing the middle east. and because of that, if it turns out that this perpetrator was in fact an asylum seeker, that would really play into the hands of those critics of hers to the right, so on the one hand her conservative allies, but also the new anti—migrant afd party which has fiercely criticised and a merkel because it would back up their argument is that so many refugees and migrants have become a danger to germany. but right now it has to be said that the details are still unclear and also, the refugee crisis does not really have the sense of urgency in the last few months that we have felt because numbers have gone down and logistically it does seem to be that germany was coach, but obviously mrs merkel is aware of the political ramifications. it could also backfire for her critics,

because one of the leaders of afd party tweeted some think blaming angela merkel for these deaths and that has backfired in a major way because that politician is being accused of trying to capitalise on this tragedy. what we are now seeing is political figures really trying to wait and see and find out more from the investigations, because so much is so unclear and until we know exactly who perpetrated this dreadful attack, it's very important that we don't indulge in any conjecture. thank you. boris johnson conjecture. thank you. borisjohnson has expressed his sympathy for the victims of the recent attacks.|j wa nt victims of the recent attacks.|j want to say a word about the appalling events in berlin and ankara. first of all, in germany, we warned the loss of a dozen germans, and many others injured. our

thoughts are there. the families of those who have been injured or lost their lives in that appalling attack on the christmas market in berlin. and we are talking to german counterparts to see what we can offer. on ankara, ijust feel, as i'm sure many do, a sense of absolute outrage that an innocent public servant in the course of his duties should be killed in what i think was a completely cowardly and despicable way. what i want to stress today is that you've got germany, you've got the russians then you've got turkey all facing then you've got turkey all facing the problems of terrorism, and my message in that respect is that we are message in that respect is that we a re fully message in that respect is that we are fully kind and supportive working together in that respect with all three of those partners to tackle those problems. angela merkel

calling it a terrorist attack. how worried are you about a similar attack in the uk, with migrants coming in? it is important to stress that are security services are doing an incredible job of keeping us safe. in this city alone, we monitor thousands of people the whole time but you can never be complacent. the risk is very real. that is why it is so important for us to collaborate, as we so important for us to collaborate, as we do, with our german friends, with our turkish friends, and with the russians as well. thank you. boris johnson talking about the attack in germany and also the assassination of russia's ambassador to turkey by an off duty turkish policeman. let's pick up with more on that now. a team of 18 russian officials has arrived in turkey

to investigate the assassination of its ambassador there. andrei karlov was addressing a gathering in ankara, when an off—duty turkish police officer shot him several times in the back and head, shouting "don't forget aleppo" turkey has described it as a "vile and base crime". the contorted and expert in russian — turkish relations, joining this from ankara. he is at moscow state university. what are your thoughts? both russia and turkey are putting ona both russia and turkey are putting on a very united front. it is sure that the terrorist attack will have some impact on turkish— russian relations, but if we talk in a

deeper way we can say that the terrorist attack aimed to undermine first of all the normalisation process in turkish — russian relations. secondly, we can say that the terrorist attack, the assassination of the russian ambassador in ankara, aimed to spoil the syrian peace process being conducted by russia first of all, with its regional partners, turkey and iran, and it was one... it was two of the reasons of the terrorist attack, i think, two of the reasons of the terrorist attack, ithink, but two of the reasons of the terrorist attack, i think, but mainly the third aim, i think, the third aim of the attack was to carry the syrian cores into the turkish territory in the longer term, and the sponsors of the longer term, and the sponsors of the attack aimed at russian

response, the response to... it did not happen. so we can say that we can see that both sides, the turkish and russian sides, kept their cool heads despite the shocking incident, and they have started to investigate the situation, the incident, and they are now interpreting the situation from a common threat and it isa situation from a common threat and it is a threat to both sides, so actually, here, ithink it is a threat to both sides, so actually, here, i think both sides will ramp up there, efforts in the fight against terrorism. so what could that potentially look like in terms of the shape of the relationship to come and what is done? bilateral relations between turkey and russia will suffer less.

for example, the turkish tourism sector can suffer in that sense. some russian officials and the debbie minister of foreign affairs —— deputy minister of foreign affairs warned russian tourists to think twice to visit turkey, but in the general context, we can't say that turkish— russian bilateral relations will suffer more. but on the other hand, we can say that the turkish— russian relations in the syrian crisis can ramp up and the actual attack, i think, syrian crisis can ramp up and the actual attack, ithink, will syrian crisis can ramp up and the actual attack, i think, will be a turning point in turkish foreign policy in the syrian crisis and turkey will try... they will try to

convert its position in syria with russia, and probably turkey will diminish its military support to some opposition groups that are recognised by russia as terrorist groups, so in that sense, we can see that russia in the following days will probably intensify its operation in other cities of syria where also it activates opposition groups supported by turkey. in regional terms, turkey and russia will probably try to work together deeper. dr kerim has, thank you very much. theresa may is appearing in front of senior mps today to answer questions on a wide range of government policies,

most notably her approach to leaving the european union. many mps have expressed frustration about the lack of information surrounding the brexit process. but mrs may says she is pushing hard for an early deal on the status of eu nationals in britain and uk citizens abroad. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith is in westminsterfor us. are there likely to be any revelations? not if theresa may has anything to do with it! she was in front of the commons yesterday for an hour, answering questions about brexit following the eu summit, and gave away pretty much zilch. this might bea gave away pretty much zilch. this might be a slightly more challenging occasion for her, because she is appearing before what is called the liaison committee of mps, which is the chairman of every select committee in the house of commons. these are amongst the most experienced of politicians, people who by and large no where the bodies are buried and know how to ask the

shop questions. —— sharp questions. but even they may struggle, because theresa may has clearly decided she's not going to volunteer any new information beyond that she has already put in the public domain because of her fear that to do so might compromise her negotiating position. so all of those critical questions — will we be in the single market, will we be in the customs union, will we have a transitional deal, will we still keep paying money into the eu, what will happen to eu nationals living here, all of those key questions which mps and others want answers to ourjust getting stonewalled at the moment on the basis that she is not going to give a running commentary and she doesn't want to compromise her negotiating position. and i suspect, on the brexit front, that maybe what we get today. however, she will also be pressed about social care, and there we may get more information.

theresa may signalled at prime minister's questions that she does wa nt to minister's questions that she does want to do something about the crisis in social care. she said her government would not duck it. it will be interested to see whether the mps get any details about what she's thinking of. norman, thank you. let's take you back to berlin. there are aerial pictures showing a very quiet scene at that german market where the truck was driven with such devastating effect. 12 people killed, 48 injured. 0f with such devastating effect. 12 people killed, 48 injured. of those injured, 18 are very seriously injured, 18 are very seriously injured, we hear. the truck has been taken away for continuing forensic examination. the latest from the police is that german police are saying it is possible that the man

in police custody, having been arrested after this attack, may not be the person who was driving the truck at the time. they have a 23—year—old man from pakistan in custody. immediately after the attack happened, the driver of the truck ran off. police then picked up a suspect, based on the description. but police are now saying it is possible that the true perpetrator is still armed and that large. let's cross to brussels and speak to hans—olaf henkel, a german mep for the alliance of progress and renewal party. your reaction to what has happened? well, of course the germans were in a way prepared for it, because we saw these attacks all over the place and now it is not

really a surprise that berlin has been a target. by the way, when we had this terrible attack in brussels on the airport here, i happen to be in berlin and my friends ask me, are you safe? i said, i am safe, i am in berlin. and yesterday evening, they asked me the same question and i gave the answer, yes, i am safe, i am in brussels. which actually means that you are nowhere safe from these kind of attacks in europe. angela merkel has been speaking about the attack. she said it would be particularly sickening if it turns out the attacker was an asylum seeker who had sought refuge in germany. what are your thoughts on that? i think the reaction of the government up to this moment, especially the interior minister, andi especially the interior minister, and i am not really a friend of the government, has been appropriate and good, including the reaction of mrs merkel. 0f good, including the reaction of mrs merkel. of course, it would be a

terrible blow if it came out that the driver of this truck was a refugee, because then we will have to face a questions on security. let's face it, when more than a million refugees came into my country, for a while this thing was out of control. we didn't know who came, what they wanted and who they we re came, what they wanted and who they were and where they were going. so i am sure that if that were confirmed, we would have a new debate on thirsty refugees and on the security of our borders secondly. that is a debate that is already being have and there are elections in germany gia. do you think that ultimately, angela merkel could be the casualty in those elections? could be. the

original reactions of the right—wing party afd already show that they are not interested in the victims. they try to exploit the situation and try to make sure the support their party gets is being increased by this terrible event. by the way, not only the right—wing but also her partner, the right—wing but also her partner, the csu chairman, who is also the prime minister of bavaria, has already made it clear that this incident is another reason for him to demand a change of refugee policy. so i think this is going to bea policy. so i think this is going to be a very bitter battle now in a political area. but i hope that at least now, we are focusing on the victims don't try to exploit the situation. hans-olaf henkel, thank

you forjoining us. we will keep you updated on the latest on the attacks. plenty more reaction in the one o'clock news shortly. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has unveiled her government's proposals for handling scotland's future in europe when the uk leaves the european union. ms sturgeon proposes a substantial further transfer of powers from westminster to holyrood. and she said it would be democratic for the uk to stay in the single market despite the brexit vote on june 23. the paper sets out the primary ways in which scotland's place in the single market can be protected. it has three main strands. firstly, we propose that the uk as a whole should stay in the single market by remaining a party to the european economic area agreement, and that it should also stay in the customs union. membership of the eu and the

single market are two distinct propositions. i accept that there is a mandate in england and wales to ta ke a mandate in england and wales to take the uk out of the eu. but i do not accept that there is a mandate to ta ke not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the uk out of the single market. it would make no economic sense for the uk to leave the single market and it would be entirely democratically justifiable for the uk to remain within it. so the scottish government will continue to argue and build common cause with others of like mind for continued uk membership of the single market. however i, albeit relu cta ntly, single market. however i, albeit reluctantly, except that given the rhetoric of the conservative government, that at this stage seems outcome. the weather across the uk is on the

change, the first signs of it arriving as we speak. there is not much christmas cheer in the forecast for the next few days. there will be spells of rain, some of the heavy, but the most disruption could be caused by the winds. severe gales are likely across the country. that is what we have at the moment in the north—west of scotland and northern ireland. elsewhere, it is a quieter day and there is more sunshine than yesterday. south—west england and wales staying cloudy and drizzly. further east, there will be decent spells of sunshine, particularly in comparison to the last few days. a few showers across north—west england and into eastern scotland, but the heaviest of the rain is out in the north and west, accompanied by gales or severe gales on exposed coasts. that wind and rain pushes studiedly southward through the night. as it moves into england and wales, it weakens off. behind it, a

scattering of squally showers with hailand scattering of squally showers with hail and snow. we start wednesday morning with our weather front still to clear. there is a band of cloud and nuisance rain by then. plenty of frequent showers being driven in by a strong westerly wind into the north—west. heavy, with hail, thunder and perhaps a bit of which is mixed in. the wind is still gale force for a time. the rain keeps those temperatures in double figures, but it will be a cold day for the north and west, particularly when you factor in the strength of the wind. thursday should be a quieter day. a scattering of showers is likely to continue in the north. a cooler day. the next significant storm is expected to arrive during friday and into christmas eve, so much so that this storm has been

named. it is the second named storm by the met office of the winter season, storm barbara, and it could cause some disruption, primarily due to the strength of the winds. there will be very heavy rain and an amber warning, which means be prepared for some disruption from gusts of up to 60 miles an hour, maybe more through the night. the berlin lorry attack, which killed 12 people, was terrorism, says the german government. a lorry ploughed into a christmas market in the heart of berlin last night — 50 others were injured, some of them critically. eyewitensses say it ploughed through the crowds at a speed of around 40 miles an hour. i saw people lying on the ground, you know, all bodies being twisted, arms, legs — people were on top of each other. as tributes are laid to the victims, angela merkel spoke of the shock

of the people of germany. translation: how can we live with the fact that during a carefree walk through a christmas market, in a place where we celebrate life, a murderer can bring death to so many. an asylum seeker from pakistan has been arrested — the authorities say he denies being involved.