Suspect In Berlin Christmas Market Attack Killed By Italian Police

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Let's work through what's known about the man accused of attacking a Christmas market in Berlin. This is a good moment to remember the story is fresh. So as always, our understanding of the facts may change. But authorities in Italy are being pretty definite about saying they believe the suspect was killed during an encounter with police. We're going to hear from Berlin and from Rome in the next few minutes, starting with NPR's Sylvia Poggioli who's in Italy. And Sylvia, what do authorities say happened today? SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Well, the Italian minister of the interior just had a press conference in which he said that at 3 a.m. in a Milan suburb, a two-man police patrol stopped a man they said they felt was acting suspiciously. As soon as he was asked to show his ID papers, he pulled out a gun and fired at one of the officers in the shoulder. The other patrolman opened fire and killed the suspect. Minister of the