berlin's christmas market terror attack — the city's police chief says those responsible could still be on the run. twelve people were killed when a truck was driven into the stalls. there are fears of further attacks. it sounded like a massive explosion. it sounded like gunshots. and our instant reaction, the same as everyone around us, was to get up and look try and help. chancellor angela merkel says it would be sickening if the attacker is a refugee who arrived in germany last year. we'll be looking at what measures are being taken to protect christmas crowds here. also tonight: the body of the russian ambassador killed in turkey is flown back to moscow — we'll be looking at the diplomatic fall—out. nicola sturgeon says scotland could stay in the eu single market even if the rest of the uk pulls out. the drug that's activated by laser light — and the new hope it brings for some prostate cancer patients.

and coming up in the sport on bbc news, alistair cook says he won't be rushed into a decision on his future as england captain, after india completed a humilliating 4—0 series victory in chennai. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. german police are warning that whoever was responsible for yesterday's carnage at a berlin christmas market might still be on the run. twelve people were killed and nearly 50 injured — half of them seriously — when a truck was driven into a crowd of people. it happened at about eight o'clock last night. the truck — which was hijacked and its polish driver killed — was driven at about a0 miles an hour. it's not clear from which direction

it came, but we do know that it only stopped after travelling 90 yards or so. with more on this terror attack, here's our berlin correspondent, jenny hill. good evening. there is a very subdued mood here in the heart of berlin tonight. last night, thousands of people went along to that christmas market. 12 of them never came home again. for some months, people in germany have been living with the fear that something like this could happen. the christmas markets have long been considered vulnerable to a terror attack. of course though no one really expected this would happen, particularly so soon before christmas. a country, a leaderfacing

a country, a leader facing what they had long feared. not only a deadly terror attacks on german soil, but an attack which may have been perpetrated by someone who entered the country as a refugee. even the police admit they still don't know who drove a lorry at speed into the crust —— credit christmas market. last night they arrested a pakistani asylu m last night they arrested a pakistani asylum seeker. today they said they're not sure they have their man. those responsible may still be at large. translation: the investigation is ongoing. we are checking for clues, dna traces. we're not sure whether the arrested man was the driver. this investigation is over. the lorry itself, which belongs to a polish firm, appears to have been hijacked. today, its owner identified the man who should have been at the wheel. the young polish driver was found shot date in the

passenger seat. today, every christmas market in the city was closed. time to remember the dead. and first song, to reflect on a lucky escape. it'sjust amazing how peaceful, festive, had —— happy atmosphere changed instantly. it was atmosphere changed instantly. it was a scene of utter devastation. atmosphere changed instantly. it was a scene of utter devastationm will be a long time, they told us, before they will be able to forget what they saw. there were people lying on the floor. we were not sure if it was red wine or blood. but we did see, i rememberthere were people trying to lift the stalls up. we realised that the people unfortunately i believe had already passed. germany is a country in mourning. its chancellor under pressure. earlier this year, asylum

seekers carried out what are thought to have been the first islamic state inspired terror attacks on german soil. angela merkel must reassure the electorate open—door policy has not put them at risk. it would be particularly ha rd to not put them at risk. it would be particularly hard to bear, she says, if it turns out the brit —— the person who did this had sought in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. the attack took place next to a bombed out church, left in ruins as a reminder of the horror of war. but once again, violence, terror, has torn through another european capital. as we've heard, chancellor angela merkel has herself raised the possibility that the attacker could be a refugee. she's already under huge pressure for letting in hundreds of thousands of people into the country last year.

political reaction has been swift, with some blaming yesterday's attack on her open door policy. here's our europe correspondent, damian grammaticas. beneath one of berlin's landmarks, a symbol of war past, the main shopping street was cordoned off micro. the attack was a blow to the very heart of germany. that is why it is felt so deeply here. searching for clues about their suspect, this is where police raided at three o'clock in the morning, berlin's biggest asylum shelter. and they had shared a room with a man. he was questioned for a couple of hours.|j am very angry about what has happened. i am very angry today about what has happened to me. i didn't do anything. they treated me

like a didn't do anything. they treated me likea criminal didn't do anything. they treated me like a criminal man. germany has taken in more than a million people since the migrant crisis began. before this week, three lone individuals had carried out attacks. no germans had died. angela merkel personally identified with the refugee policy. from an afghan refugee, she received thanks last month. today, germany's far—right, already resurgent in the opinion polls, sought to capitalise. this migration policy of mrs merkel is one of the factors because something like this can happen. we don't know who is in our country. we don't know what background they have. we do not know if terrorists are in germany andl know if terrorists are in germany and i think we have to stop this. lasting impact of this attack may be political. questions of security seized on by those seeking to drain support from angela merkel in

federal elections next year. further afield across europe, it serves as a reminder to political leaders that their support remains vulnerable to a cts their support remains vulnerable to acts of terror and violence. a majority of germans have supported the welcoming policy, provided it's for refugees fleeing war, voicing it even today. when people flee their countries and you see the danger there, we are obliged to have them, she says. others worry about the threat. our politicians need to wake up, he adds, fear is going. they are not spending on security. it all means the question of who carried out the attack, whether it was someone welcomed as a refugee, is crucial for mrs someone welcomed as a refugee, is crucialfor mrs merkel someone welcomed as a refugee, is crucial for mrs merkel and her vision of a free open germany. damien grammatical, berlin. after yesterday's attack in berlin, authorities throughout europe — including britain — have been revisiting their security arrangements for the festive season. here, there's been no specific intelligence of any plot, and the threat level remains unchanged at severe,

which means a terror attack is highly likely. here's our security correspondent, frank gardner. christmas markets, festive cheer and heightened security. britain was already on alert for terrorism before last night's attack in berlin. now, security measures have been reviewed around public markets. in birmingham, both uniformed and plain clothes police were already deployed. the public in this market seem undeterred. i don't think we can allow it to happen, to intimidate us or affect our way of life and what we do. especially at christmas time. i think things happen. if you dwell on it too much and sit back and don't do anything, you'd just become a social hermit. in london, the extremely high number of cctv cameras acts as some deterrent. in britain, the authorities also monitor private communications more actively than in other european countries. but no—one is saying an attack couldn't happen

here. in this city alone we monitor thousands of people the whole time. but you can never be complacent. the risk is very real and that is why it's so important for us to collaborate, as we do, with our german friends. with our turkish friends and of course with the russians as well. inside m15 headquarters is the government's joint trim joint terrorism analysis centre, jtac, from the moment the berlin attack happened, they began selling what the security implications are for us here in britain. so far they're not aware of any similar attack planning in the uk. but the national terrorism threat level remains at the second highest, "severe", meaning that a terrorist attack of some sort is still thought to be highly likely. this is one measure of preventative security being tested by researchers.

the barrier works, but you can't protect everywhere and one of britain's most experienced counter terrorism officers says the key is good intelligence. well more bollards and troops on the streets is absolutely not the answer to this threat. you have to build your intelligence capabilities, have you to encourage people to come forward and trust the agencies and report information and concerns that they've got. stopping something like this, the truck attack in nice on bastille day, that killed over 80 people, is concentrating minds all across europe. today, police are guarding markets in brussels and paris, cities that have recently experienced terrorist attacks. despite the christmas mood, europe is a continent on high alert. frank gardner, bbc news. and we can talk tojenny hill in berlin now. jenny, i'm just hearing that there has been a new development? yes

indeed. there are no reports circulating widely in the german media, as yet unconfirmed by police, that officers have led their main suspect go. the pakistani man who was believed to have, growing to germany as an asylum seeker this year, who've been in custody since last night, has, those reports say, been released from custody because of insufficient evidence. that means nearly 2a hours after last night's deadly attack, police have no suspects in custody. they have admitted that those responsible for the attack, and they believe it may be more than one person, are still at large. people in berlin have been advised to stay in their homes tonight. the sense of grief throughout germany this evening is now very much tinged with a sense of fear. thank you very much. turkish police have detained six people following the killing of the russian ambassador at an art gallery in ankara yesterday. it's believed those being questioned are related to off—duty police officer mevlut mert altintas,

who opened fire. as the body of ambassador andrei karlov was flown back to moscow, both the kremlin and turkish officials said the assassination would not derail their negotiations about the war in syria. from ankara, mark lowen reports. a farewell to russia's ambassador but in a way nobody could envisage. andrei karlov‘s body was flown back to moscow, the victim of an assassination. his government called him an "eternal symbol of russian— turkish friendship." his widow was barely able to watch. he was opening an exhibition in ankara last night, behind him, smartly dressed, his killer, a turkish policeman. the gunman paces calmly, gearing up to strike, occasionally fumbling in his pocket. suddenly, he shoots. at the russian embassy today, tight security and tributes to an ambassador who had served here for three years as russia

and turkey fell out over syria. they back opposite sides in the war, but have recently reconciled. those who knew him called mr karlov a brilliant diplomat. this is a big tragedy for all of us. for all russian people. do you understand why there is anger against russia here? ah... i think i understand, but it is difficult to talk right now. the turkey—russia relationship has always been tricky, but this murder might actually bring them closer against the common enemy of terror. in syria they're helping each other achieve their goals — russian and regime control of aleppo, turkish influence in the north and lacking many other allies at the moment, turkey and russia need each other. andrei karlov was one of russia's most seasoned diplomats, called softly spoken and professional.

the russian embassy street here will be renamed in his honour. both countries have painted this as a plot to derail ties. turkey's president said he and vladimir putin agreed it was an perfidious attack and provocation against turkish—russian relations. turkey's press found its own conspiracies. some called it a cia operation, others a job by the west. could the killer have been brainwashed in the police? these online videos seem to show policemen made to chant nationalist, islamist slogans. hatred perhaps stirred up here. was he a lone wolf, a jihadist sympathiser? either way a 22—year—old policeman became an assassin and russia wants answers. we can talk to steve rosenberg in moscow. steve, these sorts of incidents

could unleash all sorts of tensions. how is the kremlin handling it? cautiously, i think is the answer to that one. it's no secret that russia and turkey have had quite a difficult and sometimes an explosive relationship. think back to just over a year ago when the turkish air force shot down a russian bomber. recently, they have tried to put that behind them and forge a new relationship basically because the two presidents have calculated it is in their interest to do that. that is why since last night, moscow and ankara have been going out of their way to display a united front and make it clear they do not want to followed again. the russians have a lot riding on this show of unity because they truly believe that the new moscow led diplomacy, the troika of russia, iran and turkey, is on the verge of a diplomatic

breakthrough in syria, which, if they can achieve it, and it is a big if, could elevate the russians to the position of chief power broker and player in the middle east. steve, thank you. the time is 6.1. 6.1.pm. —— 6. 17pm. our top story this evening: our top story this evening. the terror attack on berlin's christmas market, german police say those responsible could still be on the run. still to come... england's cricketers collapse to give india a clean sweep in the test series. coming up in sportsday on bbc news. the former wimbledon champion, petra kvitova, is undergoing potentially career—saving surgery after a knife attack at her home in the czech republic. there are a 130 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed every day in the uk, making it the most common form of the disease in men. a new treatment is being hailed

by doctors as a major advance because it can eliminate tumours without serious side effects. it uses lasers and a drug developed from deep sea bacteria as our medical correspondent, fergus walsh, explains. this is the technology which represents a huge leap in prostate cancer treatment. it involves a drug derived from bacteria found in the darkness of the ocean floor. this laser optic fibre is inserted into the prostate, the light activates the drug which kills the cancer. when gerald capam was diagnosed with early prostate cancer, he was worried it might develop and he'd need surgery or radiotherapy, which can cause incontinence or impotence. instead, he became one of the first successfully treated with the new light therapy and had no long—term side effects. well, i feel incredibly lucky that i was accepted for the trial. i'm totally cured.

i can look forward to the remaining years of my life, hopefully, cancer—free. one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, so this highly effective new treatment, known as photodynamic therapy, could be hugely significant. the light—sensitive drug is injected into the bloodstream. it's derived from deep sea bacteria, which are efficient at converting light into energy. through a thin tube, a laser light is inserted into the prostate, the light activates the drug which destroys the cancer cells. the journal, lancet oncology, reports that half the patients given photodynamic therapy were completely clear of cancer two years later, compared to about one in seven of those given standard care. crucially, it did not cause major side effects. the harms with traditional treatments have always been the side effects, oar urinary incontinence. in other words, leaking urine and requiring pads. sexual difficulties, which occurs in the majority

of men who have treatment. to have a new treatment now that we can administer to men who are eligible, that is virtually free of those side effects, is truly transformative. the treatment is likely to cost around £20,000 a patient and is expected to be approved in europe following these impressive results. its use is also being trialled in other cancers. so it won't be cheep, but for prostate patients, photodynamic therapy represents a powerful new weapon in the war on cancer. fergus walsh, bbc news. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has unveiled proposals for scotland's future relations with europe after brexit. she believes it would be possible for scotland to remain in the european single market even if the rest of the uk left. the uk government has warned that a special deal for scotland is unrealistic. here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. nicola sturgeon has a plan, she says it's the only serious plan for brexit any government has yet come up with. and she argues, just

because the uk is leaving the eu, it does not have to leave the single market. i accept that there is a mandate in england and wales to take the uk out of the eu, however i do not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the uk out of the single market. scotland could stay in the single market even if the rest of the uk chooses to leave. today's proposals, from nicola sturgeon, are nothing like the red, white and blue brexit theresa may talks about, they're more of a bespoke, scottish tartan version. for scotland to be able to stay in the single market, substantial new powers would need to be devolved. control over immigration, business regulation and employment law would all need to be transferred north of the border. the mechanics of how it all might work are complex. the scottish government say it's essential for businesses, like this tartan mill in the scottish borders, who export into the eu.

they claim firms like this could employ eu nationals who would not have the right to work elsewhere in the uk, but it won't be easy. it'd be legally and politically and technically extremely difficult for scotland to stay in the single market if the united kingdom is leaving the eu because there'd be one set of business regulations applying to scotland and another set applying to england. that would only be possible if there was a complete devolution of all powers on business regulation. if nicola sturgeon can get a totally different tartan brexit deal for scotland, that would be a major political victory. if the prime minister ignores her demands, that's not necessarily a total defeat. nicola sturgeon can use that to strengthen her arguments for a second referendum on scottish independence. the prime minister today dismissed the idea of a separate scottish deal and warned against a rush to independence. if scotland were to become independent, then not only would it

no longer be a member of the european union, it would no longer be a member of the single market of the european union and it would no longer be a member of the single market of the united kingdom, and the single market of the united kingdom is worth four times as much to scotland as the single market of the european union. trying to weave together the different demands for brexit could yet strain the bonds that hold the uk together. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. a planned strike by around 1,500 baggage handlers and check—in staff at 18 uk airports has been suspended. employees of swissport were due to strike over a proposed pay deal on december 23rd and 24th. but the union unite said agreement had now been reached on an improved pay offer. the queen is stepping down as patron of 25 national organisations. buckingham palace said the announcement marked

the beginning of a process that would see patronages pass to other members of the royal family. those affected include the nspcc, barnardos and wimbledon. the queen is patron of more than 600 organisations. the two times wimbledon champion, petra kvitova, is undergoing what has been described as potentially "career saving" surgery after a knife attack at her home. it's understood an intruder gained access to her apartment in the czech republic. during a struggle, she suffered severe lacerations to four of herfingers. the england cricket captain, alastair cook, has said he will not make an immediate decision on whether he will stay in the job, following his side's dismal performance in the final test against india. england collapsed from 103 without loss to 207 all out, completing a 4—0 series defeat. our sports correspondent, joe wilson, reports. here's how india might look from the plane home. it's a view england must have longed for, one more day. with a foretaste of christmas, the collapse came after lunch.

cook, the captain, first out. from 103—0, england were 207 all out. ravindra jadeja took seven wickets. when he wasn't bowling, he was fielding. jonny bairstow on one — up, up, and out. commentator: what a catch that is. jadeja's catch, who else! moeen ali fought to 114, then this... commentator: taken. oh, mo. a fifth test defeat of the winter loomed, it went without saying there was nothing to say. with over an hour left, eighth wicket. england dressing room, right. jadeja finished thejob. when the wins stop, the buck stops with the captain, so will cook resign? it's the wrong time to make those decisions because your energy energy is low. you know, morale is low and you can make some foolish decisions at the time. so why there's not a test match for seven months, it'll seem very foolish to stand here now and make a decision. well, england need cook

in the team, scoring runs. that might seem far more easy without the burden of captaincy. joe wilson, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's tomas schafernaker. we won't like it? no, i can walk out now, if you like. yesterday we left the forecast on a bit of a gloomy note. this time yesterday and it looks like severe gales are on the way. it is looking stormy across the atlantic. the jetstream is it is looking stormy across the atlantic. thejetstream is pushing the clouds. storms will develop over the clouds. storms will develop over the next couple of days or so. one front crossing the uk. it has been a shocking day, for example, in northern ireland, in belfast, cold, raining through the afternoon, gusty winds. the rain will cross other parts of the country. this is not the storm, this is the beginning of the storm, this is the beginning of the unsettled weather. it is turning chilly as well. wednesday, there

will be sunshine, 1 chilly as well. wednesday, there will be sunshine, idon't want to painta will be sunshine, idon't want to paint a picture of doom and gloom. there will be nice weather around. it's windy to the north. there will be hail showers, maybe thunder around as well in one or two places. the south, later on tomorrow, is going to be pretty soggy. if you are out in the afternoon in the south tomorrow it will be grey and rainy. that rain will last until well after dark. then the skies will clear. we get a shot of really chilly air through the course of wednesday night into thursday. thursday morning starts off nippy. not too much wind at this stage in the south, the north is being blasted by this cold gale coming out of the atla ntic this cold gale coming out of the atlantic ocean. hail showers and sleet showers across the hills. six degrees, add the wind, it will be nippy. in the south there will be sunshine. that is thursday come friday. a warning from the met office. amber warning for severe gales. it will be brought in by storm barbara. we were talking about the potential for nasty weather.

storm barbara will bring winds to scotland, 90 further south, 50 to 70. thank you. our main story. the man arrested on suspicion of the terror attack on berlin's christmas market has been released. german police say those responsible are still on—the—run. continuing coverage on the berlin lorry attack throughout the evening on the bbc‘s news channel and the bbc website. that's all from the bbc news at six. it's goodbye from me. on bbc one we canjoin the hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: german prosecutors say a pakistani suspect arrested last night after a lorry drove into a christmas market has been released due to a lack of

evidence. chancellor angela merkel said the perpetrators would be punished as severely as the lord allowed —— law allowed. translation: if it is confirmed that the perpetrator had asked for protection and asylum in germany, that would be particularly repulsive for the many germans who are engaged day in, day out in helping refugees. in other news... president putin has promised to "step up the fight against terror", after the assassination of the russian ambassador to ankara by an off—duty turkish policeman. russia has sent a team of investigators to turkey. surgeons claim that a new treatment for early stage prostate cancer, using lasers and a drug made from deep sea bacteria, is "truly transformative". let's get more on that man released by police yesterday after that lorry killed 12 people at a christmas market. let's go live to damian mcginest. fill us up to date with the latest. police say they have

released the 23—year—old man, because there was not enough evidence to