NINE people are dead and 50 are injured after a lorry ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin in what the authorities suspect was a terrorist attack.

On a day of targeted violence across three European countries, the German incident came hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead by a police officer in an apparent a backlash against Russian military involvement in the Syrian civil war and three people were wounded in a shooting near an Islamic centre in central Zurich, Switzerland.

The Herald:

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But it is feared the death toll in Germany may rise further as pictures from the scene show a large Scania truck with its windscreen smashed out on the pavement alongside the market, which lies outside the popular landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Breitscheidplatz.

Watch live: At least nine killed after truck runs into Berlin market Christmas crowd

This is close to the famous Kurfuerstendamm, the main shopping street in the city's western quarter.

Local media initially reported that the driver was on the run but Winfried Wenzel, a police spokesman, told ZDF public television that a man believed to be the driver of the truck had been arrested near the scene. Police also said a “co-driver” of the lorry had died "on the spot".

The Herald:

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The scene in Berlin was described as “gruesome” and “eerily silent” by one reporter for the Berliner Morgenpost.

Some injured shoppers sat in front of stalls and held each other, he said.

ScotRail employee Thomas Butler, who was on a pre-festive break with his girlfriend, was near the scene when he heard a 'big commotion.'

Mr Butler, of Uddingston, added: "We could see the tail end of this quite large lorry. We heard all this noise. Everybody was screaming."

He said people fled in his direction and he went into a subway station, adding that he was 'certain' it was a terrorist incident. "We've just been very lucky," he added.

Watch live: At least nine killed after truck runs into Berlin market Christmas crowd

Eyewitness Mike Fox, from Birmingham, said the lorry missed him by only about three metres as it drove headlong into the market, tearing through tables and wooden stands.

"It was definitely deliberate," he declared, explaining how he helped people who appeared to have sustained broken limbs and others who were trapped under Christmas stands.

The lorry is said to be registered in Gdansk, in Poland, and owned by a Polish haulage company. One theory is that it may have been hijacked.

Read more: Facebook adds safety check-in following Berlin Christmas market so people can reassure family and friends

Berlin police said they believed the attack was deliberate but stressed there were no indications of further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are urgently investigating reports of an incident near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin and are in close contact with local authorities."

Sir Julian King, European commissioner for security, tweeted: "My thoughts are with all those affected and their families in #Berlin tonight."

If the tragic incident in the German capital does transpire to be a terror attack, then it could have political ramifications given Chancellor Angela Merkel’s controversial decision to allow one million migrants from Syria into the country.

Germany has national elections next autumn.

MEP Marcus Pretzell, the regional head of AfD, Alternative for Germany, the hard right-wing party which is anti-immigration, was quick to describe those who died at the Christmas market as “Merkel’s dead”.

The incident has echoes of the terror attack in Nice, which took place on France’s public holiday of Bastille Day on July 14.

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Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man, drove a 19-tonne truck into crowds of people on the resort’s promenade as they watched a firework display.

Eighty-six people were killed, all but three of whom died at the time of the attack. The dead included 10 children and teenagers. More than 300 others were injured. The driver was killed by police at the scene.

Watch live: At least nine killed after truck runs into Berlin market Christmas crowd

In Berlin, armed police were quickly at the scene. The authorities used social media to urge people to stay away from the area, remain at home and refrain from spreading rumours, adding that officers were working at full speed to deal with the incident.

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Another eyewitness, Briton Emma Rushton, who was in the market at the time, described how she saw the lorry rush past her at speed and insisted it could not have been an accident.

She told Sky News she only missed being caught in the chaos because she had climbed up some steps to take a seat.

Ms Rushton explained: "The stall that we bought our mulled wine from was completely crushed. People were tearing off wooden panels to get out."

Watch live: At least nine killed after truck runs into Berlin market Christmas crowd

She added: "It was not an accident. It was going 40mph, it was in the middle of the market. There was no way that it could have come off the road and it showed no signs of slowing down."

The Herald:

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Earlier, Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, was gunned down in an art gallery in Ankara. He was several minutes into a speech at a Russian embassy-sponsored exhibition when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots.

The attacker also smashed several of the photographs, which were part of the exhibition. Panic set in as people ran for cover after the shots were fired. Three other people were said to have been wounded in the attack.

Read more: Russian ambassador to Turkey dies following shooting at photo exhibition

Turkish broadcaster NTV said the gunman had been shot and killed by police.

Reports suggested the gunman referred to the situation in Syrian city Aleppo, where rebel-held areas had been bombarded by Russian forces supporting Bashar Assad's regime.

Maria Zakharova of Russia’s foreign ministry said Mr Karlov was shot "when an unidentified assailant opened chaotic gunfire during a public event in Ankara". She later confirmed the ambassador had died, adding that Russia was in contact with Turkish officials about the incident.

At Westminster, Boris Johnson said he was shocked and condemned what he described as a "despicable murder".

The Foreign Secretary later said on Twitter: "My thoughts are with his family. I condemn this cowardly attack."

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Meanwhile, three people were wounded in a shooting near an Islamic centre in central Zurich.

Swiss media said a suspect was on the run after the incident, which took place in Eisgasse near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital.

Read more: Several injured by gunman at Zurich mosque

Police sealed off the area.

It was not immediately clear whether the Islamic centre or any of the other businesses registered buildings nearby, were the target of the attack, or what any motive might have been.