But Friday’s attack is sure to draw parallels to the Dec. 19 truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market carried out by Anis Amri that killed 12 and wounded dozens. Like the Hamburg attacker, Mr. Amri was known to the police and was facing deportation, but still managed to slip through cracks. Unlike Mr. Amri, who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group, the Hamburg attacker has been cooperating with the authorities, who were trying to acquire identification papers for him from the Palestinian Authority, which are required for his deportation. Photo“A friend of his told us that this guy used to frequently drink alcohol, but recently he had noticed a change,” Mr. Voss said, describing the friend’s conversation with officials in August 2016. Before the attack, the man had entered and then left the store, Ms. Hennings said.

Source: New York Times July 29, 2017 14:38 UTC