Original driver of truck used in Berlin market attack 'fought for his life'

Lukasz Urban fought to the end to defend his vehicle, which was hijacked and used in a terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market. Photo / EPA: Paul Zinken

As German police continue their hunt for the man who drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market, killing 12 people, they have used CCTV and GPS evidence to piece together the final hours of the truck's original driver.

Lukasz Urban, 37, had driven to Berlin from Turin to deliver steel and had parked while he waited for his cargo to be unloaded.

After Tuesday's atrocity, Urban was found dead in the cab.

Police said he had been beaten, stabbed and shot.

Urban, from a small village in northwest Poland, was married with a teenage son. He arrived at steel firm ThyssenKrupp's depot in Friedrich-Krause-Ufer Strasse, about 6.5km north of the Christmas market, at 8am local time on Monday.

But he was told no one could unload the steel and he would have to wait until the next day.

Ariel Zurawski, the owner of a Polish trucking company, shows the last photo taken of his cousin and driver, Lukasz Urban, who was apparently the first victim of the attack in Berlin. Photo / AP

It was not clear where he parked, but it is understood he stayed close to the depot.

Urban spoke to Ariel Zurawski, his cousin and boss, at around noon, when he said he was hungry. He visited a kebab restaurant in the area at around 2pm - where he was caught on CCTV - then returned to his cab.

His wife spoke to him at 3pm, when he complained about having to wait to get unloaded, but he was never heard from again.

At 3.19pm and 3.44pm the lorry's electronic systems recorded failed attempts to start the engine, followed by a series of "erratic movements".

Urban's wife said she tried to contact him by phone at 4pm but could not reach him. The lorry was then driven in short distances towards the Christmas market.

During these short journeys the GPS showed that the engine appeared to be "choking" so the company tried to contact the driver to find out what was happening. No one answered the calls.

Zurawski said: "It looks as if someone was trying to learn how to drive the lorry."
There was no more movement until around 7.34pm, when the truck started up again and travelled nearly 10km sometimes turning in tight spots or crossing the double line, before arriving at the Christmas market.

Urban's colleagues said his injuries showed he had "fought to the end" to defend his vehicle. Zurawski was asked to identify Urban from a photograph. He said: "It was really clear that he was fighting for his life. His face was swollen and bloodied."

German authorities are seeking a Tunisian man with alleged ties to Islamic extremists who has been identified as a suspect.

Meanwhile, Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 12 people and injured nearly 50.

The attacker "in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition", Isis said.