this is bbc news. laura trott stories: shot stars, the prime suspect in the burning christmas market attack is killed in italy. there is absolutely no doubt that the person who was killed is anis amri. the suspect of the terrorist attack in berlin. anis amri was killed after winding a police officer after a routine check in milan in the early hours of the morning. we begin the programme with two major breaking stories that are developing very quickly. in one

moment we will take you to berlin and milan, where the prime suspect behind the killing of 12 people at a christmas market last week has been shot dead by italian police. we will tell you that story as it happens, but first, an internal flight tell you that story as it happens, but first, an internalflight in libya has been hijacked and diverted to malta where it has now landed. let's ta ke to malta where it has now landed. let's take you know to malta. all flights have been cancelled as the afriqiyah airways plane is on the ru nway afriqiyah airways plane is on the runway with security and medical services surrounding at or close by. this is a tweet from the maltese prime minister in the last few minutes saying there are 111 passengers on board, it is a airbus a320, owned by the state owned afriqiyah airways. earlier the prime minister said security and emergency operations were standing by. earlier

we spoke to the deputy mayor who said multiple measures were being taken at the airport. our newscasters taken at the airport. our newscaste rs have taken at the airport. our newscasters have just issued an address from the prime minister when he said he onlyjust officially received a statement that the libyan airliner was landing received a statement that the libyan airlinerwas landing in received a statement that the libyan airliner was landing in malta with hijackers on board. in reality, although the situation was here already, he has just although the situation was here already, he hasjust received although the situation was here already, he has just received the official news. there is a committee meeting to address the situation. the airport is closed and all flights are diverted. all flights

coming in after 11:20am have been diverted. there are paramedics and soldiers. there is security and the army on stand—by to see with the snack situation on—board is. two people on board have been threatening to blow up the plane if their demands are not met. it is the first time that this has happened. we have had at least five planes which were hijacked and landed in malta between 1973 and 1979. situations have been handled in one way or another. the emergency and the security and the special units, the security and the special units, the all standing by and in actual fa ct, the all standing by and in actual fact, even like other airports there are those hidden in order not to alert the hijackers themselves. the

news keeps coming in. this is what we have at the latest. there is nothing else. the requests have not been made. this is the problem. we do not know what the requests are at the moment. that was the deputy mayor speaking as a little earlier. let's find out of week gives you it is happening right now. this is a local journalist as close is happening right now. this is a localjournalist as close to the airport as police are committing right now. what is happening? good afternoon from malta. at the moment we know that it was a passenger flight we know that it was a passenger flight flying to libya has been hijacked and was diverted to malta by hijackers. it landed on the runway. sources inside the airport have reported an escalating situation. it appears that a baby is on board. there are unconfirmed

sources that have said that the hijackers requested additional fuel and food and to take over the airport to an undisclosed destination. there are threatening to blow up the plane if they are not given what they rip tested. to blow up the plane if they are not given what they rip testedm to blow up the plane if they are not given what they rip tested. it is a very confused picture. the multi times is reporting now there are only one hijacker who is claiming to be pro gaddafi. do you have any information about that? i'm trying to give you what we have confirmed at the moment. the authorities are not giving any information for the time being. i don't want to add to the chaos on the situation. i can say that the situation is chaotic, but emergency personnel have all been dispatched. the airport perimeter is full of paramedics and

we have also seen the buses approaching the aircraft, the hijacked aircraft. it might mean that there are was more contact with the hijacker or hijackers. security personnel is there. the bomb disposal unit of the armed forces of malta is on—site. that is what we know for the time being. 0k. the latest update on a developing story in malta. thank you very much indeed for joining in malta. thank you very much indeed forjoining us on bbc news. the europe—wide manhunt for the berlin christmas market attack has come to an end. anis amri, the 24—year—old cheesy and the man at the prime suspect in that attack which killed 12 people and injured many others was killed in a shoot

out with police in italy. in a news conference in the last few hours, the italian interior minister said that anis amri had been acting suspiciously was confronted by two italian police officers in sesto san giovanni? in the early hours of the morning. when asked to documents, he reduced a pistol from his backpack and shot and injured one of the officers, before being shot himself by the second officer. the interior minister gave further details about the events leading up to the shoot out. translation: this night at 3am, at the sesto san giovanni?, during a normal patrol of our police officers, one of our police officers on patrol stopped stopped a person

who would very suspect, who was just walking around looking various aspects. at the moment that he was stopped, the man without hesitating immediately took his gun and shot at the police officer who asked him for his identification papers. the police officer, christian movio, immediately the police on patrol reacted to the shoot out. luckily, oui’ reacted to the shoot out. luckily, our police officer was not shot fatally and he is now in hospital recovering. the police officers reacted to the shoot out. the person who attacked our police officer was

killed. the police officers on patrol, the person who was killed after all, there is absolutely no doubt that the person who was killed is anis amri, the suspects of the terrorist attack in berlin. that was marco minniti, the italian interior minister speaking to reporters earlier. our reporters outside the train station in a suburb of milan, where anis amri was shot dead. he spoke to us a little earlier. there

isa spoke to us a little earlier. there is a bloodstained handy chart circle in what we bring you the exact location where anis amri was shot dead by the italian police. we understand that anis amri got the train here in sesto san giovanni?, a working suburb of milan and was stopped by police for a regular identity check, he then pulled a gun out of his backpack and shot one police officer who was injured and a shoot out ensued in which he died. anis amri is at the well known to the italian authorities. he had spent up to five years here. four of those were in a jail in palermo in sicily where he spent some time after being accused of arson. eventually, he was issued with a deportation order which he did not materialise and then he escaped to germany where he is believed to have taken out those attacks in berlin. let's go to berlin. the reaction to

this news there? relief. i am hearing the christmas market where the lorry drove through on monday. i think everybody is very relieved that this man who was armed has now no longer posing a threat to the public. the german authorities have said that they haven't officially confirmed his identity yet, but they say that there is little doubt that this was anis amri, who was shot in milan today. we understand bureaucratically it will take a little longer before the german authorities confirm him. a spokesman for the interior ministry here in germany said that there was a sense of relief that this man no longer posed a threat. the italian authorities are saying that the fingerprints taken from the body of the man shot in milan confirm 100%

that there is no doubt at all that this is anis amri. what about the police investigation there in terms of what is he acting alone or perhaps involved with other people? is that continuing at the frantic pace that has been for the past 72 hours? we heard from one official saying that anis amri is dead, but the investigation is absolutely continuing. there are a lot of big questions here as to how did he gets all the way to milan? what we understand from the italian authorities is that he got on a train from france and went to milan from there. the question is both the italian authorities and the germans, how did he get there, whether other people involved, whether people helping him from the german side to get to italy, was he going to meet people in italy itself? it was very

interesting when the italian interior minister announced the death of anis amri earlier, he said i cannot tell you to be needy tilt at the moment, because there are operations still happening. it is clear that the investigations are still in full throttle. and all—american all in the past 2a hours has said she is very pleased about how the german police have reacted to the terrible events. —— angela merkel. what sort of political reaction have been from other groups in germany following these events? been from other groups in germany following these eve nts?|j been from other groups in germany following these events? i think it has deepened to split in germany as to how the country deals with the refugee crisis, with the migration

crisis. there are those who support angela merkel‘s line that the people who need help should be given help, but there are many others, notably her sister party in bavaria who are saying that they have two really rethink the whole of the migration policy, the security policy. then the other group blaming angela merkel for terrorist attacks. this isa merkel for terrorist attacks. this is a split country when it comes to it, but what angela merkel said yesterday is that she was very pleased to see the way the germans had reacted. ithink pleased to see the way the germans had reacted. i think what you see in this christmas market now today, there are people coming to look at there are people coming to look at the flowers and the candles in memory of the victims, but also to visit the market itself, to go out

and drink mulled wine and eat sausages in a demonstration that life must go on. thank you very much indeed from berlin. you're watching bbc news. let's return to our other developing breaking news. that is about an internal flight in developing breaking news. that is about an internalflight in libya which has been hijacked and diverted to malta. these are the latest pictures we've had in. all flights in and out of malta have been cancelled. this is the live shot here. you can just cancelled. this is the live shot here. you canjust make cancelled. this is the live shot here. you can just make out the tail fin of the airbus a320 owned by afriqiyah airways travelling to tripoli. try itself about 500 kilometres north of libya. we understand that the pilot had originally intended to try and land in libya. but the hijackers refused

to allow that to happen and were then diverted to malta itself. conflicting reports about how many hijackers are on board, most reporters saying there are two, including that statement from the maltese prime minister. other reports saying it mightjust be one hijacker. not a great deal of certainty about what is happening here at the moment. we do know that from the manifesto that flight, there are 82 men on board, 28 women and one infants. let's get more with the security correspondent. let's start with the libyan plane. what are you hearing? do not forget, this was a domestic internal flights, are you hearing? do not forget, this was a domestic internalflights, had it been an international one, it would have been much harderfor them to do this. sometimes people say they have something on board when they have something on board when they do not. in this particular case, the hijack or hijackers are

reported the threatening to blow up the plane. if they have hand grenades, they probably could not blow up the plane, they would how to read it with explosives, this may be an empty threat. we don't know the motivation for this attack. hijackers are very rear these days. i had been some recently, usually across the mediterranean. they have usually ended peacefully. one in an ethiopian airline with a man gave himself up and is now in prison. it is usually psychological reasons behind it. this is something which probably would have stayed in libya if they hadn't have insisted on being diverted internationally to malta. it's one of very few places that we airbus a320 could have got to with the limited fuel it had. it's a small plane. once said a hijackers said he was paroled

gaddafi, which would put another dimension onto the story. you say hijackings are a rear no days, but malta has often been affected by hijackings and has often been used by hijackers wanting to land there. yes. i remember as by hijackers wanting to land there. yes. i rememberas a by hijackers wanting to land there. yes. i remember as a teenager there was a disastrous hostage situation in malta which ended with a lot of passengers getting killed. it has had its fair share, passengers getting killed. it has had its fairshare, it passengers getting killed. it has had its fair share, it simply waiters. in the 1980s when they were hijackings across the mediterranean, it did not involve malta, but it was a bad time for it. it is much harder since 2000 and a half to the 911 attacks. the cabin door to the cockpit was strengthened. i remember being allowed to go forward as a child. that cannot happen now.- being allowed to go forward as a child. that cannot happen now. 13 to the other major news in the last 2a hours. the shooting of the prime

suspect in the berlin christmas market attack. in terms of the intelligence mistakes to start off with. the themes have been resolved now relatively quickly. what is it sure about cooperation within europe in terms of intelligence sharing particularly with italy and germany? it is getting better, but has a long way to go. this comes down to the timely passage of information between people who need to know. intelligence agencies are notoriously the locked into sharing vital stuff, because the more people they share it with, the greater the risk of these thoughts will be compromised. we have big agencies like giroud paul, national intelligence agencies are not going to share in sensitive pieces with a pan—european organisation like that, they will share it country to country. in this case, the germans have done the right thing, because the immediately contacted the italians and the genistein is. he is

genistein and italy is where he spent a lot of time in prison. they did the right thing there. —— he is a tunisian. i would be amazed if the people who stopped him had not had an intelligence tip—off of some kind. it also underlines how easy it is to travel around europe now. tunisia has been declared as the safe country in terms of asylum seekers coming into the country. it seems that he travelled from germany to france and then to milan. yes, he did a high—speed train through france. it loads the tone a bit, but it is very similar to the plot of a film. —— the bourne films.

the italian minister give a press conference if unesco where he said that as soon as the man got into the country, we were on the lookout for him. good job. it country, we were on the lookout for him. goodjob. it would have country, we were on the lookout for him. good job. it would have been better if he was cost alive, because we may never know unless the video comes out, whether he believed was islamic state. he was probably inspired by them, but was he actually recruited and directed by them? or was he just actually recruited and directed by them? or was hejust somebody actually recruited and directed by them? or was he just somebody they have never heard of and is claimed responsibility for it? thank you. we will come back to you in a few minutes time. let's sayjournalist in milan whojoins us now. dramatic events in the early hours of the morning. what's more are you hearing about what happened and indeed why these two police officers approached these two police officers approached the man we now know to be anis amri? as we know, up until now, our

interior minister and the cheaper police said that it was a random control. a suspicious person at 3am in the morning in front of a railway station of a small—town very close to milan and so they presented this asa to milan and so they presented this as a normal and routine control. it was to a single person and this person to get a gun and shot one of the two policemen. they were too young policemen. one was a student, let's say, in training in the police. it was not an organised trap. it looks very random and when anis amri, the person who we now know to be anis amri took out his

gun and wounded one of the policemen, the other one ticket out of his gun as well and shot anis amri. aftera of his gun as well and shot anis amri. after a few hours, we could have full confirmation from the interior minister that he was anis amri. because of fingerprints found. amri. because of fingerprints found. a random control, as we know until now. do we know where he had been staying in milan, if indeed he was staying in milan, if indeed he was staying with accomplices or what? as we know, he arrived in milan by train at 1am. the police chief of milan said that we are sure that at 1am last night he was in milan

really central station. he came from 2m where he spent a few hours in the night. he came from a friends perhaps. we do not know. we know that anis amri spent five years of his short life in italy. he was arrested when he arrived in italy because of riots in a centre for immigrants and he spent four years in jail in immigrants and he spent four years injail in sicily. we know that he has an italian history, but until now, official sources didn't say anything about possible friends or people who you could meet in these few hours in italy. they are

investigating. it is possible he came to italy because maybe someone could help him. we don't know. they are investigating. they are looking into what he did in these two hours from milan relay station to sesto san giovanni. thank you very much for that. we are out of time. just to remind you of the other breaking story and that is a libyan internal flight story and that is a libyan internal flight hijacked and on the runway in malta. we are back with more on but those developing stories. also worth checking out the website and the hat on your tablet or phone. everything as it happens on but those developing stories reported here on the bbc. we will be back in a few minutes time. there are two storms on the

forecast. the wind is working its way south eastwards through the afternoon. the winds are threatening further across the far north of scotla nd further across the far north of scotland in particular. we have amber warnings scotland in particular. we have amberwarnings in scotland in particular. we have amber warnings in force. be prepared for a significant description and power outages as well. abc, possibly 90 mph ago the far north of the northern isles. that is courtesy of storm barbara. the worst of storm barbara will clear through, but very strong wind here across christmas eve with frequent and heavy wintry showers. ice will be a hazard with temperatures is close to freezing. further south will be more quiet, but a chilly start to christmas eve. storm barbara sails away north—eastwards with best band of gold westerly winds. that could

affect some high—level routes and some strong winds not having the feel of things. mostly rain showers, all the while further south than christmas eve it should be bright and breezy. predominantly dry here. temperatures is not too bad, up into double figures. as we head into the evening, it turned increasingly wet and windy. the next storm system will arrive and free time will have a lot of warm air wrapped around inside that. christmas day will be a remarkably mild day with temperatures for a time at least quite widely getting up into the low teens. we have to factor in that strong winds. it will be cloudy for many and wet across the north—west of that cold front arrives. that cold front will be important as it pushes rain—soaked cold front will be important as it pushes rain—soa ked eastwards. cold front will be important as it pushes rain—soaked eastwards. behind that temperatures is following again and by christmas night it could be turning wintry once more. if you of

us turning wintry once more. if you of us could have a white christmas. under boxing day, by this time the storm name has changed. it will affect the far north of scotland principally. again you could see deals of 80 or 90 mild an hour. eventually things should settle down later on next week. all the latest can be found on the website. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines at 12:30. a libyan passenger plane with 118 people on board has been forced to land in malta. it's thought two hijackers had threatened to blow up the aircraft. the main suspect in the berlin lorry attack is shot dead in milan after opening fire on police officers during an id check. anis amri, who is a tunisian national, was killed in the early hours of the morning. an italian officer was injured. there is absolutely no doubt that

the person who was killed is anis amri. the suspect of the terrorist attack in berlin.