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Terrorism

Berlin market attacker Anis Amri buried in Tunisia

August 6, 2017

After a spat with Italian officials over the terrorist's body, Amri's family members held a funeral in his hometown in Tunisia, they told DW. His remains had been held in Italy for months before being transferred.

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Anis Amri burial Tunisia
Image: DW

The burial ceremony took place on Saturday in Amri's hometown of Oueslatia, DW journalist Jaafar Abdul-Karim reported. Armi's close family members and neighbors were present. His brother, Mohammed Amri, told DW, "All of us, especially my mother, are relieved that we can finally bury him. We had to pay Tunisian authorities a converted amount of around 5,000 euros [$5,887], which we borrowed."

Read more: Anis Amri case: Berlin launches probe into Christmas market attack

Burial in Tunisia of Anis Amri
Family members and neighbors on the way to Amri's burialImage: DW

Transferred to Tunisia at the end of June

After drawn-out back-and-forth proceedings, Amri's body was transferred to Tunisia, where it was stored in a hospital in the capital city of Tunis. Italian authorities previously initiated a argument regarding the body. The city of Sesto San Giovanni, where Amri was shot on December 23, four days after fleeing Germany, refused to pay the bill for the preservation of the corpse.

According to Sesto's Mayor Roberto Di Stefano, the small Italian city received the bill from the nearby city of Milan, where Amri's body had been stored in the months following his death. Di Stefano said he would not pay the 2,160 euros ($2,543) price tag, underlining that his citizen's money would "never" be used for a terrorist.

Read more: Italy deports Tunisian with links to Berlin market attacker Anis Amri

On December 19, 2016, Amri drove a truck into a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, killing 12 individuals including one Italian. After fleeing across Europe, the Islamist was shot by a police officer in Italy during a routine control.

Mayor Di Stefano sent a complaint, among other things, to Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Italian law prescribes that the costs for an unclaimed body are to be paid for by the municipality where the person died.

cmb,se/jlw (dw, dpa)