Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 19 december 2017

1 year after Berlin attack, anger and questions remain

this complete change in phone but overlooked
people’s lives, but still we photos showing him with
will show sympathy and knives and a gun at a Ber-
improve things where they lin mosque frequented by
need to be improved,” she Islamic extremists . Foreign
said. intelligence agencies and
In their letter, published German police informants
by German weekly Der warned security services
Spiegel, the families cited that Amri, who used a doz-
numerous official inquiries en different identities, was
and media reports that re- planning an attack.
vealed how government “I keep being asked how
agencies bungled the sur- this could happen,” said
veillance of the perpetrator Kurt Beck, a former state
— a Tunisian asylum-seeker governor who was ap-
and petty criminal German pointed as government li-
police suspected had ties aison for the families.
to Islamic extremists. Presenting a report on
Anis Amri, who died in a his work last week, Beck
shootout with Italian police urged the government to
days after the attack, had increase payments for vic-
been the subject of joint tims of attacks and improve
meetings by German se- the way authorities deal
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 2nd left, holds a rose in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 12, curity agencies for months with the bereaved. Some
2017 as she visits an improvised memorial place for the victims of the terrorist attack at the Christ- leading up to the attack, relatives were left wander-
mas market on the Breitscheid Square at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church one year ago. but repeated opportunities ing Berlin for days unaware
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn) to deport him were missed. that their loved ones had
Berlin police only kept been killed. Within weeks,
By FRANK JORDANS man authorities’ failure to reaching out to them. watch on him during office some relatives were being
Associated Press stop the attack and their “I know that some would hours on weekdays, even chased for autopsy bills.
BERLIN (AP) — Survivors and handling of the aftermath. have wanted such a meet- though he was known to “It was pretty ridiculous
families of the 12 people The closed-door meeting ing sooner,” Merkel said deal drugs and nighttime what happened,” said
killed in last year’s Christ- was announced earlier this earlier Monday. “But it’s surveillance could have Steffen J. Tzschoppe, a law-
mas market truck rampage month, shortly after the in- important to me to make revealed sufficient criminal yer representing a young
in Berlin met with Chancel- jured and bereaved sent clear today how much our activity to detain him at Ukrainian woman who lost
lor Angela Merkel for the Merkel a blistering letter feelings are with the rela- length . both her parents in the at-
first time Monday, amid slamming the long-time tives and the injured.” Authorities managed to tack. “I think the authorities
continued anger at Ger- German leader for not “Nothing can make up for obtain images from Amri’s didn’t have a plan.”q

Albania opposition protesters in clashes outside parliament

By LLAZAR SEMINI flags and shouting anti- threw smoke bombs to- ambulance. and two others abstained,
Associated Press government slogans, had ward officers. Opposition lawmakers also while the opposition boy-
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Al- gathered outside the Al- Police said six officers were threw smoke bombs inside cotted the vote.
banian police clashed with banian Assembly building injured during the clashes. parliament, but their col- Marku’s brief swearing-in
opposition supporters who to condemn the selection Authorities were working to leagues managed to hold ceremony after the vote
tried to force their way into of a temporary prosecutor identify protesters who en- the vote. They elected Arta was held under a cloud of
parliament Monday to dis- general, which they said gaged in violence. They did Marku as acting chief pros- smoke. “This is the begin-
rupt a vote on the appoint- was unconstitutional. not say how many civilians ecutor with 69 votes from ning of the popular upris-
ment of an interim prosecu- Riot police pushed back were injured, but television the ruling Socialist party in ing,” main opposition Dem-
tor general. the protesters after they images showed a few with the 140-seat parliament. ocratic Party leader Lulzim
About 3,000 demonstra- broke through a security minor injuries and a woman Two lawmakers voted Basha said before ending
tors, holding EU and U.S. cordon. The demonstrators being taken away in an against the appointment the protest.q