Berlin attack truck’s GPS reveals ISIS fanatic failed to start HGV several times and drove like a beginner for hours before launching deadly rampage
THE final movements of the truck used to kill 12 people when it was driven through a busy Christmas market in Berlin have been revealed.
The truck is believed to have been hijacked by the attacker, who fled the scene of the attack but was arrested a few miles away.
It has now emerged the Polish lorry driver whose truck was used in the Christmas market massacre was shot, according to the interior minister of the state of Brandenburg.
Karl-Heinz Schröter confirmed the death as he prepared for a telephone call with the other interior ministers of the 16 states that make up the German republic.
And Lukasz Wasik, an employee at the Polish haulage company to which the truck belonged, said it was curious that the GPS system used to plot the location of the lorry at any one time, showed that it had been started and stopped three times after it was supposed to be stationary near the gates of the delivery destination.
He said the GPS data history makes it look as if "someone were first learning to drive the truck".
According to the GPS data, someone at 3.44pm started the engine. Then the ignition was triggered at 4.52pm and at 5.37pm.
But the truck did not move, which could indicate the driver was stalling over and over - just like a beginner.
He eventually drove away at 7.34pm and shortly after 8pm launched his vile attack at the Christmas market.
Where hundreds were still preparing for the Christmas holiday, the last gifts were bought, there was no trace of contemplation.
Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the Polish company - based in a town near to the German border - said his cousin had been driving the truck for 15 years.
It is understood he was murdered by the Jihadist and his body discovered in the cab after he fled following the brutal attack.
"It must be him,"; he said. "I am in total shock." He said his cousin had parked up the lorry on Monday near to the gates of the company where it was to be offloaded on Tuesday morning.
He did not specify in which part of Berlin this was but said his cousin had told him that the area "is full of muslims." The last time he spoke with him he told him he was going to get a doner kebab to eat.
He believes he was kidnapped and murdered shortly afterwards.
The crash occurred in Breitscheidplatz, a major public square in the city in a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in Nice earlier this year.
The company's transport manager, Lukasz Wasik, added that the driver had been transporting Thyssen steel products from Italy to Berlin.
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"The company where he was supposed to unload the products in Berlin was not able to receive them and told him to return on Tuesday morning. They told him to wait in Berlin somewhere," Wasik said.
"We lost contact with him around 3pm local time. We don't know what happened."
The suspect, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was being interrogated by officers, police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf told reporters.
He added that the crashed truck had a Polish license plate and that German officials were in contact with Polish authorities.
It was reported ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, though this is yet to be verified. It does come just weeks after the terror group called for "festive slaughter".
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