Germany 'relieved' Berlin attack suspect killed in Italy

BERLIN: Germany is "relieved" by reports from Italian authorities that the prime suspect in the deadly Berlin Christmas market attack was shot dead by police Friday in Milan, an interior ministry spokesman said.

"There are growing signs that this is actually the person (wanted in the attack). Should this be proved true, the ministry is relieved that this person no longer poses a danger," the spokesman, Tobias Plate, told reporters.

He added Berlin had not yet received "official confirmation" from Italy that the dead man was in fact the suspect, Anis Amri, after Italy's interior minister Marco Minniti told a news conference in Rome that Amri had been shot after firing at two police officers.