Minister sees mistakes in Berlin attack as victims weigh compensation
NAN-F-27
Compensation
Berlin, Jan. 13, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Victims of the terrorist attack in Berlin are considering compensation claims, a lawyer said on Friday.
He said that the Justice Minister became the first top German official to admit mistakes were made in dealing with events surrounding the assault.
“After what has happened and what we have learnt since, it is not possible for anyone to sit down and say that no mistakes were made,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said.
His comments came one month after 12 people died and more than 50 were injured when 24-year-old Tunisian Anis Amri drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin.
Authorities said that 11 of those injured remained in intensive care.
Amri, who was due to be deported and was considered by security forces to be a potential threat to public safety, was shot dead by Italian police near Milan.
He was attacked after he drew a gun during a routine check just days after the attack.
Berlin lawyer Andreas Schulz said that victims of the attack were considering launching a claim for millions of dollars of compensation against the city authorities and the federal government.
In particular, the claim would focus on the security arrangements at the Christmas market, Schulz said.
“The question is why the concrete blocks placed around the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz were put up only after the attack and not before,” Schulz told Tagesspiegel. (dpa/NAN)
(Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Julius Enehikhuere)