German police hunts for attacker after deadly assault is claimed by IS

German police Wednesday stepped up their hunt for the driver of a truck that rampaged through a Berlin Christmas market, in a deadly assault claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The sole suspect — a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker — was released late yesterday for lack of evidence, prompting worries of a killer on the loose and further rattling nerves in a shocked country.

“We can’t rule out that the perpetrator is on the run,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told German broadcaster ZDF. Twelve people were killed when the Polish-registered articulated truck ploughed into the crowded market on Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims.