Berlin truck attack

Police had arrested a Pakistani asylum-seeker, but said he may not be the attacker and the real perpetrator could still be on the run.

The prosecutor's office said he had now been released as there was not enough evidence to pursue a case against him.

The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of West Berlin's most famous landmarks, at about 8pm on Monday. Forty-eight people were injured, 18 severely.

Local media, citing police at the scene, said first indications pointed to a deliberate attack on the market.

Berlin police said 12 people were killed in the crash. Forty-eight people have been taken to hospital with injuries.

Video footage from the scene showed stalls knocked over and people lying injured on the ground. Police cars and ambulances converged on the scene.

The incident occurred at Breitscheidplatz, near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of the city.