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24 HOURS OF TERROR

World on high alert as gun cops patrol Christmas markets after four atrocities leave 15 dead in ONE DAY

CITIES across the world are on high alert after four suspected terror attacks in just 24 hours, with armed police guarding Christmas markets and shopping centres.

Ankara, Berlin, and Zurich have all been targeted in a series of terrifying incidents which have claimed the lives of at least 15 people.

Heavily armed cops spotted on guard at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market in New York
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Heavily armed cops spotted on guard at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market in New YorkCredit: Getty Images
The armed NYPD officers looked like a scene from an action film as security was upped across the world after the attack in Berlin
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The armed NYPD officers looked like a scene from an action film as security was upped across the world after the attack in BerlinCredit: Getty Images
Defiant shoppers visit the Columbus Circle holiday market as ISIS claims responsibility for the fatal terror attack
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Defiant shoppers visit the Columbus Circle holiday market as ISIS claims responsibility for the fatal terror attackCredit: Getty Images
The police presence was obvious in New York and other major cities around the world
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The police presence was obvious in New York and other major cities around the worldCredit: Getty Images
ISIS had threatened to carry out atrocities at festive markets in the lead-up to Christmas
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ISIS had threatened to carry out atrocities at festive markets in the lead-up to ChristmasCredit: Getty Images
Police patrol outside the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris, France, where the Berlin attack has stirred up chilling memories of the massacre in Nice in July
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Police patrol outside the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris, France, where the Berlin attack has stirred up chilling memories of the massacre in Nice in JulyCredit: AP:Associated Press
Security guards check bags at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London, with undercover SAS operatives said to be patrolling shopping hot-spots across the UK
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Security guards check bags at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London, with undercover SAS operatives said to be patrolling shopping hot-spots across the UKCredit: PA:Press Association
There were no signs of armed police at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park but security guards in hi-vis jackets were out in force
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There were no signs of armed police at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park but security guards in hi-vis jackets were out in forceCredit: PA:Press Association

 

Europe was rocked as a sequence of shocking terror events unfolded within hours, leaving 15 people dead
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Europe was rocked as a sequence of shocking terror events unfolded within hours, leaving 15 people dead
Armed police are on patrol across the UK in a bid to halt any planned terror attacks following a spate of incidents in the past 24 hours
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Armed police are on patrol across the UK in a bid to halt any planned terror attacks following a spate of incidents in the past 24 hoursCredit: Reuters

Brussels police also confirmed a "large security anti-terrorist operation" yesterday, with one person arrested in the Schaerbeek area of the city on suspicion of posting terrorist threats.

Firearms and a computer were seized as an explosive devices unit examined a suspicious package - but no explosives were found.

The UK is on lock-down with undercover SAS soldiers and armed cops patrolling high streets and shopping centres, with police warning an attack is "highly likely".

Eleven forces are sending out anti-terrorism police patrol squads to cities in a bid to spot and stop any ISIS or al-Qaeda inspired attacks.

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Scotland Yard has vowed to review protection of Christmas and New Year events as the terror threat level remains at "severe".

London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds will all benefit from extra protection after MI5 warned that ISIS extremists are targeting mainland Britain as well as cities across Europe.

Paris have also stepped up security, with armed police patrolling streets and several markets restricted to pedestrians only.

Yesterday afternoon the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in an art gallery by an off-duty cop who shouted "We die in Aleppo, you die here."

Andrei Karlov, 62, was giving a speech at an art gallery when Mevlüt Mert Altintas, 22, fired at him at least eight times.

He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries, and Altintas was killed by police in an intense shootout after incident.

The shocking moment the ambassador was killed in front of a terrified group of attendees and journalists
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The shocking moment the ambassador was killed in front of a terrified group of attendees and journalistsCredit: Getty Images
A man was arrested and the US embassy in lock-down hours later as a man fired shots hours after the assassination of the diplomat
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A man was arrested and the US embassy in lock-down hours later as a man fired shots hours after the assassination of the diplomatCredit: Getty Images

No group claimed responsibility but Russia said it considered the diplomat's death an act of terror.

Hours later, the US embassy in Ankara was in lock-down after a man reportedly fired a pump-action shotgun 'eight or nine times' outside.

He was arrested after a stand-off with the police just 2.5 miles from where Andrei Karlo was gunned down.

In the same afternoon, a man entered a mosque in Zurich and opened fire on a group of worshippers. The mystery shooter seriously wounded two people and injured another before fleeing the scene.

Police were still hunting for him hours later when his body was found on the river bank nearby.

And last night 12 people were killed and 50 injured when a Pakistani refugee ploughed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany.

Three men were shot in an attack inside a mosque in Zurich, with the gunman's body found nearby
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Three men were shot in an attack inside a mosque in Zurich, with the gunman's body found nearbyCredit: EPA
Last night a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, killing 12 people and injuring 50
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Last night a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, killing 12 people and injuring 50Credit: Reuters

The suspect, named locally as Navid B, is believed to have been recently radicalised in Germany and may have been ordered by an ISIS handler in the Middle East to carry out the attack.

The terrorist group claimed responsibility for the massacre last night, which took place in a busy market full of tourists and shoppers.

One of the victims was the original truck driver, who is believed to have been shot as the attacker took control of the vehicle.

His body was found in the cabin after the vehicle careered through Breitscheidplatz at 7pm.

It mounted the pavement before crashing into a crowd of shoppers, tearing through stalls before coming to a stop after a deadly 150ft rampage outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The latest attacks come after several others in Germany this year.

In July a German teen shot dead nine people in Munich before turning the gun on himself, just days after an Afghan refugee .

In the same month a 27-year-old Syrian due to be deported blew himself up outside a bar in Ansbach, wounding 15 people.

Authorities inspect the crime scene in Berlin, where blood can be seen on the road
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Authorities inspect the crime scene in Berlin, where blood can be seen on the roadCredit: AP:Associated Press
Tributes are already starting to flood in for those killed in the massacre
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Tributes are already starting to flood in for those killed in the massacreCredit: AP:Associated Press

In May a German man allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", stabbed a person to death and slashed three others at a railway station in Grafing.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said this morning she was "shocked and very saddened" by the Berlin attack, and vowed to punish the perpetrator.

She said: "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack.

"I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that (the) person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum.

"It's terrible for all those Germans who are helping asylum seekers and refugees.

"Millions of people are asking themselves 'how can we continue with celebrating the festive season?'

"I only know we cannot do without the Christmas markets, those pleasant moments with friends and family.

"We do not want ourselves to be paralysed by terror."

For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online, where we will bring you live updates as soon as they happen, before anyone else.

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