A refugee is thought to have been behind the wheel of a 25-tonne articulated lorry which mowed down and killed nine people - and injured 45 others - as it sped at 40mph through a busy Christmas market in Berlin.

As German police, the White House and the German Interior Minister indicated the incident may be terror related, ISIS moved quickly to claim responsibility for the fatal attack.

The vehicle laden with steel cargo mounted the pavement before tearing through stalls and shoppers in the market on Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the German capital's main shopping area.

The driver, who according to German newspaper Die Welt, was a refugee of Afghan or Pakistani heritage who had arrived in Germany in February - fled the scene before being arrested at a nearby zoo.

A passenger in the cab died at the scene and the Polish-registered lorry was stolen from a construction site - after the haulage firm said they lost contact with the driver in the afternoon.

The vehicle left a trail of devastation in its wake, in a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice in July - and came just one hour after the Russian ambassador was shot dead in Ankara.

The incident comes amid repeated warnings from security agencies that supporters of Islamic State could launch lone wolf terror attacks at festive markets across Europe. 

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The vehicle left a trail of devastation in its wake, in a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice in July - and comes just one hour after the Russian ambassador was shot dead in Ankara