German authorities say the man suspected of deliberately ramming a large truck into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin is a refugee from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

German authorities say the man suspected of deliberately ramming a large truck into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin is a refugee from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

Chancellor Angela Merkel says she believes the incident was a terrorist attack. Merkel has promised a thorough investigation and that the perpetrator would be punished with the full force of the law.

12 people are confirmed dead and 48 injured. Our correspondent Guy Henderson in Berlin has more.