Machine gun cop guards merry-go-round at German Christmas market after Berlin truck massacre
FOOTAGE of a machine gun-wielding cop standing guard outside a merry-go-round at a Christmas market has sparked a heated debate on social media.
Hundreds of parents vented about how children are growing up in a “state of fear” because of a spate of terror attacks such as the Berlin truck massacre.
Local media posted the video of the heavily-armed cop at a market in Moers, Germany, saying: “This image frightens us.
“We find it scary that a policeman with a deadly weapon in protecting a carousel."
The post on added: "Can you still walk carefree on a Christmas market?”
Many parents commented on the footage, with one writing: “It is really sad that it has come so far.”
Halime Süleyman wrote: “I’ve been going to the Moers Christmas market with my kids for years.
“My children and I enjoy every minute of this visit.
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“How should I explain to my children on our next visit why this policeman has to guard the Christmas market now? It is really sad that it has come so far.”
Karina Bünk added: “Yesterday we were at the Christmas market in Krefeld and policemen stood with machine guns!
“My children have spoken to them because they did not want me to believe they were real.
“The officials have explained to you why they do it. Our children are growing up with the situation, and education should be important.”
Other social media users said the high police presence makes them feel "safe and reassured".
Cities across the world were put on high alert this week after four suspected terror attacks in just 24 hours, with armed police guarding Christmas markets and shopping centres.
Ankara, Berlin, and Zurich were all targeted in a series of terrifying incidents which have claimed the lives of at least 15 people.
Brussels police also confirmed a "large security anti-terrorist operation" on Monday, with one person arrested in the Schaerbeek area of the city on suspicion of posting terrorist threats.
Police are hunting the Tunisian refugee who is thought to be behind the attack at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday.
At least 12 people were killed and 48 others injured after a "hijacked" lorry slammed into a crowd of people at the market near Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
It has since been claimed that the prime suspect Anis Amri, 24, has previously offered to be a suicide bomber.
The UK is on lock-down following the massacre, with police warning another attack is "highly likely".
Eleven forces sent out anti-terrorism police patrol squads to cities in a bid to spot and stop any ISIS or al-Qaeda inspired attacks.
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.
On Monday, 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.
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.
Later that night, 12 people were killed and 48 injured when terrorist ploughed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany.
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.
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."
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