The Atlantic

The Terrifying Simplicity of the Berlin Attack

“Very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle,” an ISIS publication advises.
Source: Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters

Shortly after a semi-trailer packed with steel sped through an outdoor Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing 12 and injuring dozens more, Germany’s chancellor a concern likely shared by many Germans. “We don’t want to live paralyzed by fear of evil,” Angela Merkel said. The fear, in this case, arose from terrorism in one of its crudest forms: a truck, a driver, and a crowd of people. An assailant had weaponized everyday life in a country of 80 million people, 44 million cars, and countless

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